Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kero sniffs around as well, looking for the stuff he knows has to be in tat bundle for him, to help soothe his growly tummy.

... only to be snatched up in an invisible net and dropped unceremoniously in the center of a courtyard of the oddest keep/castle/palace he has ever seen. It appears to have been constructed over an enormous period of time by some nature loving mad man. Fairytale tower jut out at crazy angles from the roof line, no two the same, with one enormous dark one at the far end of the west wing.... if that was indeed the west wing. It is hard to get one's bearings when the sun has just gone down. There are gardens everywhere, some formal, most not, all bearing a distinct oriental theme, with several sporting strings of dancing lights in the trees. Tiny wizened creatures from dim forgotten childhood dreams scurry about the gardens carrying heavy arm-loads of foodstuffs and cushions, paying him no attention what-so-ever.

Jack mutters soft obscenities to himself, wondering what he had gotten himself into this time, as he picks himself up and brushes off his britches. But before he can get his bearings and find the main door, he is surrounded by an unlikely trio of guardsmen which appear to have canine or fox heritage in their makeup. One tall and thin, one short and plump and one fairly average except for the enormous spear he is pointing at him.

"Where in Lunaria's name did you come from?" the third man demands.

"Don't you be trying to calm us, boyo...we're here to guard the lady Lyssan's realm from intruders like you...now what be your name, and where you be from, or headed to?" Growls the youngest of them, the young buck who was still feeling his horns.

At that, all three of the foxes laugh, and the young one...Hymie (Correct me if need be, Ly), Jack hears the others call him...steps forward, lowering a spear he carries in his hands, though his posture is defensive, not aggressive.

"You, boy, are a bad liar. Usually it is considered wise to at least partially conceal a lie in truth. You are not from here, or we would have smelled you. There is only one wolf in this keep, and you are not Mi'Lord. Therefore, you are an intruder, and I have every reason to poke you full of holes if you don't leave."

The commotion in the courtyard did not go unnoticed by the four makeshift picnickers on the balcony.

"Whash goin on, Keeva?" begs Kya fluttering to his shoulder.

"Who dat?" demands Kero bravely, hopping to the rail.

"Not sure...." mutters Keva softly easing Kya off and handing her to Enia. "But I'm going to find out... Ma and Da are really busy right now... And they should be down there, but I don't see them, so someone from the family needs to intervene before Hymie goes too far. He might be a friend... but heck, he might not. Something about his stance reminds me of Da... he's not going to back down. Hop down, Kero, and stay here...." With that he moves to the rail himself and transforms into a manticore before gliding down to the courtyard to land behind the three guardsmen.

"Something amiss?" he growls, not necessarily meaning to sound aggressive, but manticores rarely say anything unless it was in a growl.

Before his eyes the manticore evaporates, reforming into a tall thin kitsune with snow white hair and fur. His clothing is a bit worn and patched, but something about the way he carries himself and the way the guards have rushed to stand in a protective half circle behind him says this one is someone important.

"Lys, hmmm? As in Lyssie or Alysian... or Lyssan, maybe?" he asks, his eyes twinkling with suppressed humor. He motions for the others to stand down. "Can it, Hymie... he's a friend, I think. Gasper, go find Ma... and barring that... at least Da. Tunk, if I see you sneak one more snack from a passing servant, ye'll be running laps around the practice grounds in the morning."

The kitsune smiles at his reply then nods to a stone bench nearby. "Well, ye've come to the right place... but Ma is a little busy right now. Tell ye what... ye go sit over there with these two nice gentlemen fer company...." Clasping the arms of the two remaining guards he drags them forward. "And I'll go make sure Gasperion finds her."

With a short terse bow he runs inside, grumbling to himself. "Dang it.... another one to see Ma.... and on my birthday to boot...."