[SRuiz]

"If you're certain that's all that's bugging you, I won't press any further." The ritual was complete and Keith was more than ready to set out the cart for the rescue. When the doors had opened at last, his brown boots planted into the forest floor as he examined everything around him. Apparently the shadow creatures had found a way to get over on his friend. He was determined to not let the same thing happen to him. "So where in this forsaken area are we heading?"

[Okamiryun]

Len pulls out a map "in the middle of this forest is the dark ones lair.thats where the shadows take people." Air nods "we will be going with out the cart as the forest is too thick for the cart to get through."

[stoichornet]

Simon was having a look at the machinery in the lab- he recognized an autoclave and a hood for chemical work, but a few of the devices were beyond him. "I think this may be for PCR, but genetics was never my field. You'd want an evolutionary development guy or a geneticist for some of this stuff...that said, I'm amazed that some of this does look like stuff I recognize, considering it's sixty years old and I'm not even from this dimension." Other parts of it looked as if they were straight out of Frankenstein- a winch and a pair of cages designed to hoist something towards a skylight overhead, presumably used during the aforementioned merger of little-Nillik and some owl that had probably just been minding its own business before getting the shock of its life.

[Okamiryun]

Nillik walks over "umm what are you talking about? And could please not touch anything back here? I don't know what's working and what will make a big boom."

[SRuiz]

"I wasn't intending to use a cart to get in anyways." He memorized the map and began to move down the path, a bit anxious to rescue everyone.

[Okamiryun]

Len nods "ok. Then lets go every one." The others gather in a semi circle around Len, Shiko , Stella,and Keith. Darkfire and Toke go ahead of everyone to scout things out.

[stoichornet]

"That's...probably for the best, yeah," Simon reflected, dusting off his hands and giving the equipment a final look. "Sorry, I have a background in marine biology, I was interested in what might be back here." Why couldn't he keep running into fish-people instead of birds? "So you haven't touched it yourself, then."

[Okamiryun]

Nillik shakes his head "I've never touched it. I don't know anything about how it works and all that. So what's a marine biologist?"

[stoichornet]

"Essentially, I study fish and other things that live in the ocean," Simon shrugged. "Normally, I work for Florida State University- when I'm home, that is. Home is...A long way away. It's a long story." He sat down. "Ooooh. Look, I'm sorry to put you out like this- is there anything I can do to help out around here?"

[Okamiryun]

Nillik shakes his head "no not really. I'm just going to rest. Hurt wing and all." He goes to a pile of fabric and curls up on top of it.

[stoichornet]

Simon found a corner himself and lay down- the adrenaline from the earlier escape was wearing off, and he was really starting to feel the lack of food and sleep, and the extra demands his burden placed on him. He curled up, holding his showing belly protectively, and dreamed, mostly of horrible experimentation involving birds- his subconscious had been a weird place lately.

[Okamiryun]

In the morning nillik is cooking some food. "Hey I hope rabbit stew is good. I kinda couldn't catch anything better." Sparks is on the book Simon had taken from the town.

[stoichornet]

"No, that's amazing, thank you." Simon could smell it. "How's your wing?"

He wished Sparks a good morning, petted the firebird, and finally took a look at the book he'd swiped.

[Okamiryun]

Nillik nods. "That's good. My wing is feeling better." The book is a journal from some guy called the tiger. It's starts from his youth talking about his days stuck in a military for orphans.

[stoichornet]

Simon wondered idly whose diary this was, and if some large angry mercenary wouldn't be wanting it back. He kept flipping through it- it was kind of like a Black Company novel, without editing. "Is a 'Tiger' famous around here?"

[Okamiryun]

A couple pages later the book mentions Learen. The new orphan and a surviver of a deathling attack. It seems like deathlings where once commen knowlage in this world. Len was found by a young owl named Toke. Couple pages later and Len is a becoming a captain of his own group, dispite his young age. The writer expresses a jealousy, as before Len he was the youngest captain.

[stoichornet]

"Interesting...." Simon was beginning to wonder if the author had ever been one of Zero's cronies. He recognized some of the names, Len's especially, although Toke was also familiar. The group seemed to be tied up with a lot going on in this world, and maybe Len had the answers to a few of the current problems...

[Okamiryun]

As the book goes on Len and tiger seem to have a fun rivalry. Till news comes of a person calling himself the dark one. This person has gathered an army lead by a former assign named Jake. Len and toke had gone after news of a Mage that could be len's younger brother.

[stoichornet]

Simon raised an eyebrow, learning about Jake's past- and getting his first mention of someone who could possibly be Zero. He put the book aside to have a bowl of stew and do the dishes for Nillik; it was only polite to help.

He wondered what had happened to this Tiger person; if he was living in a town that butchered people who came to them for help, and if not, how his diary had gotten there.

He went back to the book, giving Sparks a pat.

[Okamiryun]

Nillik was glad for the help. The book later discribes how under Jakes leadership the armies where taking unmated females very quickly. The Mage is Len's younger brother his name is Heitsa, and he is blind. There is magic on Jake forcing him to do the dark ones bidding. It's an ancient type of shadow magic the only person tiger knows that can also learn this is Len. By the time Len has learned enough shadow magic to counter the spell on Jake most females are gone. Heitsa was protecting Shiko fiercely and seems to be intamit with her. There is a large battle and tiger sees Len free Jake before being taken captive himself. He woke up to see lens older brother zero. This male has no magic or ability beyond his inventive ability. He often compares himself to Len talking about he has to make things hard but not impossible for the hero, and how he wishes he was the good guy that has to go through the pain instead. Tiger is used as the experiment for a strange substance that can make males get pregnut. There is an antidote but zero talks about destroying this. Later tiger is given to the harpies to breed. He does escape using his feline form and claws, but he is pregnut. He found a town that seemed to offer help but to any one pregnut with a creature they will be torn apart. This is the second to last entry. The last is some one else in a panic 'the dark one is a male ....' The last part is torn
(How is that for a history dump?)