[CC] Wayfarer Expedition

A faint prickling across Meiron’s nape was the shifts first warning of something out of place, the stream he and Bitxi had stopped at, a brief respite from the havoc of the current season on Erre, was sprawled out across the area of the chronoscape the pair were currently in. Not that he actually knew exactly where he was, though he was a lot better at traversing it nowadays.

Bitxi froze as the waters moved, a figure emerging from had her darting behind her rider, warily watching the blue skinned… strange woman emerge. She bared her teeth, but subsided when Meiron dipped his head in acknowledgement.”Lady Phinae-mar.” the cat said by way of greeting. Bitxi perked up, she had heard of her before, given her rider was in the Erre Coalition. ”Hi.” she chirped, inching closer, letting her head be rubbed as the request was laid out for them, crooning softly in sympathy.

Meiron listened, head cocked slightly as he glanced around the area, thinking on where her old friends may of ended up. To the north we’re immense mountains, surrounding a vast and slumbering volcano, both of which he could feel with the magics of his dragons. A faint mist circling them almost ominously, warning off interlopers, and also to remind people of the oddness of the chronoscape, an array of snow here and there. ”Of course.” The cat responded.

Meiron closed his eyes and his body shifted, powerful wings spread as the raptor beak opened as he stretched his gryphon form, they would be able to cover far more ground like this; even if he wasn’t massively keen on having others on his back. With Bitxi’s help, they managed to get the Phinae-mar onto his back, her cold fingers gripping his fur, the sensation… certainly not something he was used to.

Once airborne, Meiron swept his powerful wings as they started scouting the area, slow Bitxi darted about, occasionally chasing lizards that appeared, especially as they approached the mountains beyond. Meiron’s sharp eyes caught a very faint trail, which from the ground would be almost impossible to see. Bitxi slipped onto it, slowing slightly as she felt along it with her earth sense, the imprints of those who’d used the trail brushing against her… and there all but faded to time, was a very faint impression of something other than the feral animals and lizards she was used to seeing. All of this she relayed to her rider soaring above her.

Meiron followed the trail, blinking once or twice as snowman began to appear… perfectly formed with no sign of melting…. Well… those were certainly not normal. Eventually the trail vanished altogether and Meiron flared his wings landing as softly as he could, lowering himself so that the Phinae-mar could climb off, Bitxi almost immediately by her side to offer a helping claw.

For a few moments the three of them looked around, seeing nothing to show them where the others had since vanished. Suddenly something moved from the corner of the gryphons eyes, and he turned to stare at a tiny wisp…. It flickered almost sadly at him… this wasn’t the first time he’d seen wisps of this type before. He followed it, making sure to keep his pace so Bitxi and the Phinae-mar could keep up.

The wisp fluttered leadings them from the path, more and more snowman scattered about, still an odd addition to the volcanic mountain range that toured above them. A cave appeared before them, all but obscured by the overgrown foliage… and another snowman, this one though seemed almost ethereal. The wisp vanished, and Meiron slipped inside, going still as he spotted the bones huddled in a corner. The phinae-mar stepped in, hand on Bitxi as she too surveyed the graves.

For a few moments none of them said anything, a silent memorial to those who had gone, before the phinae-mar began to collect them, each bone carefully handled as she passed them to Meiron to hold, his talons careful as he grasped the fragile cargo. They took their time, Bitxi helping out as well, as careful as either the gryphon and the phinae-mar. There was no rush to return home now that they’d found the phinae-Mary’s precious comrades…