Another roar soon echoes back, leaving you wondering for a short time as to wat creture it uttered from. You soon find out, though, as a creature appears through the mountain mist, walking toward you. You blink, looking the being over. It seems to be an anthromorphic dinosaur of some kind...with additional hair, that is.

"Hey there," he calls happily, waving a claw in a greeting. "I'm Reptillowl. I guess I'll be your new guide for noe, eh?" He smiles. "I was a custom gift to Vaprrenon. I'm half raptor, half wolf." He shrugs his shoulders. "Well, guess Slongitai got ya here safe and sound." He turns to the griffin, waving a hand. The creature grunts in reply and opens his wings, taking off into the evening air, heading home for the night.

"Well then, where were we. Oh yeah, boring introductions, eh? Well then, let's go, shall we?" He turns, heading off. You jog to keep up at first before knowing the other's stride to keep up the pace. "There's a little valley between this mountain and the next," he explains simply. "There's a little pond and all. I figure if you got all the way up here, you'll probably want a little rest and a drink, eh?" He grins at you and you nodd, eargly telling the anthromorph just how right he is in his assumptions.

You are quite happy to see that there is a well-worn path down to this pond area, and you follow Reptillowl closely as you head down. It might be a path, but it is still steep, and it isn't very wide, so you decide that it is safest to head down staying behind your new guide.

You finally reach the edge of the valley and happily follow the reptilian anthromorph to the pond, eager to get a drink and take a small rest. You blink however, when seeing a glowing light near the water's edge. As you get a bit closer, you see that it is a strange floating creature. You look to Reptillowl for an explaination.

Your guide smiles at you, heading toward the creature. "This is Sui, an oriental dragon. He tends to stay around this valley most often. He actually spends a few days in the pond ever once in a while. I think he's a water elemental, but he's never let it been known, so no one can really say."

You near the dragon, and he flies over to you, sniffing at you a bit, and making a grand bow before you. He hovers a second and then lets his claws touch the earth's soil. He swishes his tail and turns back around, walking to and sitting at the edge of the pond, making a gurgling noise from deep within his throat. He holds his head back to do so as you and your new guide sit a little ways off from him. You ask Reptillowl what he is doing.

"Nothin' much," the anthromorphic creature says with a shrug. "He's jsut over calling his friend. That's another reason I think he sticks near here; his best friends lives in that pond there, and obviously can't go much elsewhere without help. I guess Sui likes to keep him company when he's in need of it, eh?"

You blink, wondering if this Sui's friend might be a water dragon of some kind, and hoping that you might now get a chance to meet them. You eagerly lean over, trying to get a better look at the water once you relaise that Sui has finished making his strange call. The dragon is laying near the edge of the pool now, waiting to see if his friend will decide to arrive.

You blink in surprise, though, when seeing what looks to be a feline head emerge slowly from the water. Where was the water dragon you expected? You watch, looking at the strange aquatic cat ears and its large fangs jutting from its top jaw. You glance up at your guide when seeing the marine cat lift a great clawed handlike paw out of the water.

"He is a seacat," Reptillowl explains with another shrug. "Kinnda a strange creature, eh?" He grins. "He was a CCF gift, his name is Water Distortion, and he's the pond's current resident. Maybe he'll have some company once Vaprrenon finds a sutible aquatic companion fer him. Then maybe he and Sui can throw a party instead of just sitting with each other for company, eh?"

You blink. A seacat? Well, you realise as you watch the two strangely paired friends, he certainly isn't the water dragon you expected, now is he? You smiled, though, not disapointed. A seacat if definately more interesting than a water dragon, especially when unexpected like Water Distortion had been. You sigh and sit back after taking a drink. At least you got a rest, even if it's pretty short break.

You start up, jolting forward. You blink, realising you had fallen asleep, and had just awoken to Reptillowl shaking your shoulder. You shake your head and stretch, looking up at the sky. It's getting very dark now, hardly any light left in the sky now. You look over, finding Water Distortion and Sui gone by this time. You yawn and stand, your guide smiling. "Come on, then. We should move on. You're well rested I'd guess, eh?"

You nodd stupidly and stand, your reptilian guide gesturing for you to follow him. "I can get kind of dangerous out here at night." He glances back to make sure you are still following after a bit. "I've arranged for you to have a bit of transportation, at least better than you have right now, eh?" She'll give us a bit of light, too. That'll certainly be a plus when heading through this place, now won't it? She's waiting over this way."

you follow, a tiny light visible through the trees, You blink in surprise and rub your eyes when Reptillowl emerges into a slight clearing and you are able to see this new mode of transportation. You stare at the black horse, almost too afraid to get anywhere near it and its blazing mane and tail of fire. She paws at the ground and you watch the hovering flames flicker and dance around each leg's pastern. You glance to your guide, wondering what to do.

"It's alright," Reptillowl assures you, "Her flames can't hurt you. Now if you'd be kind enough to get on we'll both be on our way. I can keep up with her on foot, but I figure having the light to guide you will be plenty more help than I can give you personally, eh?" He smiles and waves for the beast to come forward. "Her name is Iltrutient, by the way. Just call to her and she'll listen quite nicely."

You nod and mount the strange unicornlike being and look around, asking where you can hold on. Testing the strange flames with your finger, you had noticed that you can't possibly hold onto her mane; it wa hardly more than air to the touch. Your guide just shrugs slightly, as he always seems to do. "Hug her neck?" he suggested. "I wouldn't know, never ridden anything before...just do your best. I'll trail right behind you, so not to worry, eh?" He grins.