The up and coming youngster

He laughed as he was thanked, waving it aside casually. It was after all his own fault the object had been almost obliterated in the first place.

"No need to thank me for something that was my fault. It was the decent thing to do, even for an old coddoger like yourself." He grinned and winked at the man and laughed. He shivered as he felt his flesh knitting back together and looked down as the female named Tamreta touched him.

"My great gratitude, Tamreta. It is absolutely sufficient. You actually really didn't need to do anything at all, but I will not pass up help. As to your request for my name..." He stepped back and swept his right hand across his stomach, bowing deeply and reaching out with his left hand and taking her's in his, placing a kiss upon it gently.

"I am called Ca'guuror DelaSangre. It is an absolute honor to meet the two of you." He blinked and straightened as the conversation headed into a realm of common place table manners, where he decided silence would be his best option here. Nobody he knew would ever see his table "manners," that is if the word even came close to describing them. He shook his head and leap upon the new conversation the female started up with gusto, simple if not to change the subject he was slightly touchy upon.

"Imps?? Wings devils, about yea high?" He held up two fingers apart from each other, about three inches about. He laughed good humoredly.

"Sure I will help. I wouldn't mind at all. Got nothing else on my plate at the moment. But we should probably leave the old fart behind. He will blow away in a stiff breeze." He leaned close to Joseph and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Either that or he might get scared. Think he saw some of his children perhaps?" Shaking his head as he tried to lighten the mood between the two, who obviously had a history together. Maybe not a bad one, but certainly not the best one.

"I mean, after all. Who doesn't like fried imp wings coated in salt with a touch of hot sauce, huh? Sounds finger licking good to me." He grimaced at his horrible joke, but whatever. You couldn't take back words and he would just have to deal with whatever they thought or said about.

[Varos Talantos]

Suddenly, the sky darkened and appeared nearly pitch black. A screech purged the air of its silence and several birds could be heard taking flight in fear of whatever that noise was. After the screech had ceased, whispers could be heard all around every one of the individuals. Some whispers saying nice things and others saying nasty things and then it became impossibly dark. A bird that had been slumbering a moment ago woke to the darkness and lifted off, launching itself blindly into a tree in the pressing black cloud that had suddenly surrounded the area. As the whispers increased in intensity, Forgery Zaytsev stepped out of the blackness into the center of those who were present, though he kept the darkness where it was. No need for them to see him. He magnified his voice and boomed, "What are you doing here?" He sat cross-legged in his most common Asian form and leaned against a fallen log, directly facing the shapeshifter.

He grinned as he watched their responses to his booming voice. Amazing how great a variety of reaction could be achieved in mortals with the exact same stimulus. The blackness vanished instantly and all was as it was before, save for this young Asian man sitting in their midst now, a smirk on his face, gazing straight at Caguuror, lithe body relaxed as could be. [/color]

[Joseph Goebbels]

Joseph bristled at the mention of his children. This young one couldn't even imagine what had happened to his family. "Don't you dare bring them up again." he snarled. "Or I'll scratch your eyes out." He rubbed his arm and looked at Tamreta. Sasquatch? That ridiculous legend? Hairy men that only crazed or drunk mountain men saw? Interesting, he'd never seen one before. They were rumoured to be intelligent, if excreting a foul odor. Imps shouldn't be a problem for the beasts, they stood almost seven feet high and should be able to swat the little twats without problem. Though, imps were twice as annoying as mosquitoes...they'd plagued his hometown of Rheydt for a while. Stealing pens, books, photographs. Even the shifters, wheels, and pedals off of automobiles were subject to their scrutiny. Like magpies with fingers, they were endlessly intrigued by shiny objects and things they'd never seen before.

Joseph would have thought the buggers had succumbed to the oppressive cold here...they didn't have much in the way of protection from the elements. When the shapeshifter talked about eating them he gave him a look. "If you want to eat something that smells like a garbage can, your choice." he said sharply. He'd go with Tamreta, intrigued by the chance to see some of the sasquatches up close. If only Mengele were alive...he'd love the chance to experiment. "Alright. I'll join you. No need to worry about me keeping up, I can fly faster than the two of you can run...and don't forget the liquor." he said, not adding that he'd gladly trade his ability for theirs...he'd not run since he was a boy. The bottle that Tamreta was dangling in front of him would help forget that fact.

Then the darkness came.

Joseph felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and the whispers began. If someone ever had a horrible past, Joseph was one of them. Thankfully he knew not to pay attention to the voices...doing so would only drive one mad. However the darkness meant he'd lost his sense of sight, and would have to rely on hearing. When the voice asked what they were doing there...he snorted. "If you'd been listening a few minutes ago you'd know the answer to that." he growled. "Who are you?"

[Tamreta]

Oh dear. Caguuror had just hit upon a very sensitive area with the old man, one that even Tamreta was sketchy about. Family, children especially, were strictly taboo topics with Joseph. Thankfully, he seemed distracted by the thought of meeting the sasquatch. It put her more at ease to know she would not have to intervene in a fight between those two. Despite how interesting it might have been to see who would have won, she had no wish to be the one healing the both of them, as no doubt would be the result. That would cause them all to be tired, and with the imps already unpredictable that could cause problems. If even the sasquatch had trouble with them then it would only mean more trouble for them. Not knowing the source of their apparent madness would make the task more difficult. The young buck's light humor of it all was also concerning which made her all the more glad that she had Joseph's help in this. Even if it was only for the liquor.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the fall of sudden darkness. The whispers echoed in the black, their voices catching just at the edge of hearing. She heard what they said, and smiled despite their words and her loss of vision. The booming voice that broke through the whispers did not faze her at all. Once one knew what was happening it was hard to shake them. Joseph's gruff response to their new guest that had appeared before them just made everything more natural.

Chuckling lightly, she layed a calming hand on the old man's shoulder. "Relax, Joseph. No doubt our guest already knows all about what is happening here." Looking over at the Asian, the reaper bent her head slightly. "It is an pleasure to meet you, though I had not expected to be in the presence of two seperate deities in less than a decade," she said. "But I am curious, why would a god take interest in our little group?""

At Joseph's intense reaction at the mention of children, Cag frown and shook his head. So something unpleasant in the man's past involving his children, huh. That might be why the man always seemed so bitter. His golden eyes dulled greatly, loosing their customary shimmer of life. Memories of his past filled him, and his own lost child. So the two of them had something in common.

He rolled his eyes at Joseph actually commented upon his poor joke, but didn't say anything back from the distraction running amok in his own mind. He grimaced as the male mentioned flying faster then he could run and shook his head, murmuring softly to himself. "I doubt it sir..."

His mind snapped back to reality as darkness flowed around them, voices whispered around him. His eyes twitched from side to side, trying to pierce the darkness and pinpoint the source of the words. Footsteps drew his non-functioning eyes towards the source as his ears started to compensate, his blind training kicking in slightly from long ago.

As a voiced boomed around them and the world became visible again, he was looking over the head and at a tree. Shifting his eyes down, his gaze falling upon the the eyes of a Asian man he did not know. However, the man looked at Cag like he knew him, perhaps to well. Tilting his head quizzically to the left, Cag slowly squatted on his haunches, still looking back into the man's eyes directly. They seemed cold, almost lifeless to Cag and he bite at his lip thinking.

Tamreta spoke to Joseph, telling the were-creature to relax and that the new comer already knew why they where all there. Cag frowned at that, wondering why the person would already know why they where there. When the word "deity" left Tamreta's lips, the small bit of information clicked in his mind, placing several things in his mind as to why the man seemed to know himself so well, but Cag did not recognize him at all. Also why he knew why they where there. Cag returned his attention upon the deity, a smiling playing at his lips.

"Hello sir. How might we lowly mortals have caught the interest of such a high being such as yourself?" He looked the man over, knowing that there was more to him then what one could see. He inhaled deeply, imprinting this deity's scent into his mind.

[Varos Talantos]

The Asian man chuckled inwardly at the fiery (if clueless) Werebeast's demanding words, but allowed nothing to cross his face, preferring his stony gaze at the Shapeshifter. He focused a moment. Caguuror was his name. Joseph the one that radiated a pained existence and Tamreta the wisest of the three. After their initial reactions had come to a close, he sat in silence for a prolonged moment before speaking. "Tamreta is correct. Of course I know what your intentions are." At this he turned his head to look over the Werefalcon. "For the past you have, one would think you would have become more quiet over the years... lest negative attention be fatally drawn to yourself." He let the half-threat, half-warning hang in the air then turned his attention to Tamreta. "Reapers are one of my favourite creations. Wise beings with magnificent potential created to test the imaginations of lesser species and to further learning amongst the Earth. I've respect for you." He bestowed a small, yet charming smile upon her a moment, assuring her he meant what he said. His smile faded after a few moments, replaced with the stony gaze he had started with and he turned his focus back to the Shapeshifter.

Speaking softly, but with growing resonance, he addressed him with that blank, cold stare. "Caguuror, I am Forgery Zaytsev, the Father of Lies, God of all Deception. Your kind... those of the art of shapeshifting... are of a kindred spirit to my own. I hold great fondness for Shapeshifters that perform well and most of those who have become my Beloveds have been of blood similar to yours. I have nurtured them, taught them, trained them, and lavished upon them as they have for me." By this point, the very air seemed to shiver as the God spoke and he drizzled a saddened fury over his next words. "I have watched as they have shed all of the blood in their bodies to ensure that My power and theirs might increase. I have seen them skewered in the name of purity. A single tainted Shapeshifter can destroy centuries of work and they have fought and died valiantly to preserve the ideal. Do you understand?"

After a few moments of pause, he continued in an almost-whisper that was barely audible to the three. "I have seen you use the power that you have been blessed with to manipulate the cells of your body to heal yourself. Your recent acquaintance Tamreta has been blessed with the knowledge of healing to aid those she deems fit without restraint. Why do you think such a power was bestowed upon her? I'll quickly assure you it was not so that her power could be made useless by some bold Shapeshifter who dared twist his powers for regenerative purposes."

A ripping sound was heard and the Asian man was no more, but Forgery's true appearance. His flaking flesh looked of decay and his one good eye peered angrily out at Caguuror from underneath a furrowed brow. "Caguuror, you are nothing to the Shapeshifters of old and I will not hesitate to show you just how mortal you are if I find you using your powers in a fashion unbefitting again. Heal yourself if you wish to test me, but know that you will not breathe another minute if you do."

Forgery glared harshly at Caguuror, implanting fear into the Shapeshifter on a greater level than what was already there and stood slowly, eyes locked onto the youngling. "You're being watched." With that, the darkness returned and the whispers resumed, pounding with particular ferocity in the ears of the one Forgery had come to address. After twenty seconds of this, it subsided suddenly and all traces of the God had vanished along with Him.

[Joseph Goebbels]

Joseph bristled. "Please, go alert the national guard. I beg you to do it. If they don't shoot you on sight for those freaky whispers, I'll be shell shocked. Tell them there's an old Nazi in the woods running around with a ghoul and a shapeshifter." he said sharply. Yes, he was challenging the asian. He had low opinions of those who came forth and declared themselves gods...it was just too arrogant to let slide. Threatening him wasn't any way to get him to cower, Joseph was similiar to a badger in that regard. The more poeple poked him, the nastier he made himself. Gods...they just didn't exist. He didn't believe in them. There were powerful creatures and there were weak creatures, then there were those that liked to make huge displays of their power. They weren't by any means gods to anyone but the foolish. He folded his arms and eyed Forgery until the man disappeared. What an odd...fluke. But the creature warned them he was watching them. Watching them for what? To see them bat imps off a bunch of primates? He was suspicious now...he eyed the shapeshifter. "Well, my advice would be not to try and heal yourself again. For some odd reason, the half-blind one doesn't like it." he grumbled under his breath.

Joseph shifted to stand next to Tamreta. "I'd rather deal with you than flake-face." he told her. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here before it comes back. By the way, I completely doubt he created the kid over there. There are no such things as gods, he's just trying to give you a big head." He shifted on his feet. "Alright, Tamreta...let's go see what's bothering the huge apes that they can't bat away a few imps."

[Tamreta]

Tamreta sighed in silent disapproval. Joseph's personality made it so that he had many, well not enemies, but rather people who disliked him greatly. It also prevented him from believing that there could be higher beings. A difficult approach when one of the gods presented themselves, but at least they would forgive the old man because of his prickly nature. Hopefully. It was near impossible to tell with their kind. And now she was stuck not only with a non-believer, but a young shifter who had managed to anger the god of deception himself. This trip was starting to become more troublesome than she had originally thought. The added watch of a god did not help matters at all either.

"I believe you should listen to him," she advised Caguuror. "Our visitor may not have created you, but he can surely destroy you with no effort on his part. Just try to keep a lower profile with your powers or else we may find imps the least of our worries."

She glanced down at the man who had shuffled closer to her and smiled in amusement. "Thank you for the compliment. I am glad to know I rank above him in your book," she said. "And Joseph...please do not let the sasquatch hear you call them apes. They are similar to reapers being called ghouls in that regard which you have already referred to me as more than once now. I would dislike it greatly if you call me by that name again." There was a slight warning in her voice, but she had a feeling the old Nazi would ignore it. He was just that way. Nothing she could do about that since he could probably shrug off her aura of fear.

Shaking her head, she walked back to the thicket she had emerged from and pulled out a long mahogany staff from the tangle. "If you would follow me then I will take you to the Silver of the meeting. She was the one who informed me about the situation. Come." She did not wait for a response before striding off with silent steps deeper into the forest.

Cag listened to the man, a smirk running across his lips at the words the old timer spoke, only to be replaced by a sneer which pasted itself upon his lips, his pupiless gold eyes lighting with a fire from with in. "I am no kindred spirit to you, Lier. I believe in truth, and honesty. Your other," he smeared the next words, as if they where some bug he was stepping upon and spreading upon the ground, "kindred spirits may have grovelled at your feet and used their powers for trickery, but I will not. So threaten me if you wish, but I will not be bullied like teenager on a playground by the high school quarter jock."

When the man had vanished, attempting to instill fear in Cag, and Cag knew that was exactly what he was doing because he had felt no fear until that point, he simply shrugged it off. Fear was an emotion, nothing more. It could be ignored, like pain and anger and love. He turned to the two and glowered in anger, a particularly blood thirsty and nasty countenance now plastered upon his face. He couldn't help it. He was not made at these two. Quite the opposite really in fact. He was thankful towards Joseph, his words actually lightening his heart but not fully driving the anger away. He simply nodded at Tamreta's words, his golden eyes flaring again with a personal fire.

"Whatever, lets go. For your personal sakes, I promise not to do anything of the sort again. I would hate to loose the two people in this screwed up world who I consider my friends." He turned back, hissing under his breath at the spot where the self proclaimed "god" had been before stalking to a near by tree and retrieving his hidden pack where he had stashed it in a hollow trunk, his katana strapped to the pack and the black dragon head handles with ruby eyes of his sai stuck out from the sides. "Lets go help your friends Tamreta. I have some steam to blow off."

[Tamreta]

Tamreta smiled a secret smile as she moved through the undergrowth ahead of the little party. Her pace was considerably slower than that she would use if she were alone and did not have the the two others following her. It could not be helped. She did not want to disappear from their sights. With Joseph's temper he would cause a ruckus that would rouse the entire forest. Also, it might help the young shifter calm if he could see her. Make sure that nothing happened to his new friend as he had referred to her.

Well, they did have a ways to go until they reached their destination, and judging by both Joseph's and Caguuror's actions and speech before it would be best if she gave them a brief guide to follow when they met the great creatures. An angry Silver was the last problem the reaper wished to deal with on top of those she already had. "Sasquatch do not trust easily," she began, "so use the most polite language when you first meet them. They could take offense if you say the wrong thing. Think before you speak." She shot Joseph a meaningful glance over her shoulder. "And above all, do not mention the stench unless asked directly about it. That is considered the utmost disrespect next to being called an ape."

A rocky ledge reared up before them as they pushed through a stand of thick pine. Tamreta barely glanced at it before she leaped up and gripped one of the tree boughs. Like liquid shadow she flowed higher and higher until she was almost even with the top of the ledge. Bracing herself against the truck she launched herself, flipping neatly so that she landed on her feet.

"It's just ahead," she called to the other two, pointing at a wisp of smoke through the trees dead ahead.

[Joseph Goebbels]

"Seeing you try to hit imps with a fancy sword should be suitably hilarious. Like trying to hit mosquitoes with a howitzer. Put it away before you hack someone's arm off." Joseph grumbled, rubbing his arms for warmth. Much as he was acclimated to cold weather being born in one of the nastiest parts of the Rhine, he had very little in the way of body fat. He hung close to Tamreta, ignoring how her appearance made his stomach turn. He would much rather have the reaper next to him than the gregarious child wandering behind them or the so-called god. "Listen, I know when to be quiet." he grumbled at her. "I'm only brusque to people I don't care about. That so-called god being one of them. I'm not likely to piss off giant apes that can rip my arms off and play croquet with my head."

The cold was getting to him. He stopped for a moment, conjured up something of a memory in his head. Adrenaline seemed to help him transform easily. Within a few minutes a falcon settled on Tamreta's shoulder, clutching the heavy steel brace against her shoulder. He puffed himself up, settling next to her head for warmth. That was much better than trudging through the canadian wilderness...

Cag simply smiled wanly at Joseph's words about his swordsmanship. He knew he would slash the werefalcon into ribbons with the weapon if he so wish, and he could easily and efficiently dispatch even the small pesky imps with it. He stared at his feet, lost in thought but glancing up occasionally to check on the other two. He heard Tams words and simply nodded. He didn't usually speak so frankly with people. Well, he did, but he was usually respectful if they earned that respect.

When they reached a rocky outcropping, Cag watched with amusement as Tamreta scaled a tree with little effort and leap over on top of the ledge. He got a running start, leap up the ledge a ways, the rebounded off, landing upon the tree Tamreta had used and digging sharp claws that had grown from his fingernails in mid-air into the bark. He leap back to the cliff, and caught the edge, and heaved himself over the edge with little difficulty. He dusted his hands off and continued to follow after Tams. He frowned slightly, then reached out and took the brace from Joseph's talons gently.

"Here Jo. I will carry it so you are not in such an awkward position. Don't worry, I will take care of it for you." He settled into step just slightly behind Tams and Jo and to Tams right.

[Tamreta]

It was a strange new feeling to have Joseph stick so close to her, Tamreta mused. Not only amusing, but also something that resembled a friendship though the old man would most rather die than admit to being friends with a reaper. As he shifted into his falcon form, she chuckled lightly. "Well then, it would seem I am a taxi for the werefalcons of this world," she joked that disturbing smile still on her face. Discreetly she tugged her hat down on that side so Joseph would not constantly be seeing her face, and disguised it instead as moving his talons so they were not as dangerously close to ripping the lining of her coat's collar.

The rest of the walk was relatively easy compared to that of the lower forest. There was less undergrowth, and the smoke made it easy to find the way to the meeting place. The first thing one would notice were the fallen trees all around the perimeter of the clearing. Each was easily ten feet in diameter and were placed so that there were four pathways coming from the four cardinal directions. At the center was a firepit where a couple of logs burned. Ancient trees formed a thick canopy over the clearing keeping the smoke from the fire from acting like a beacon in the sky. Tamreta gazed around the place, her eyes seeking. "Silver, I am here for instruction," she called out.

There was silence. "Why have you brought others to this place, reaper? I was led to believe that only you would come." The voice was rough and sounded as old as the surrounding forest. From what seemed like thin air the owner of that voice stepped out. At eight feet tall, the sasquatch that appeared before them could be easily identified. Instead of the brown fur that the rest of her kind had, her's was a dull silver with hints of white growing around the eyes. The Silver glared at the group with distrust clear in her eyes. "Answer, reaper," she said, her tone full of silent command.

Tamreta nodded with respect towards the old sasquatch. "Of course, Silver. As you have said, I also believed I would be alone, however on my way here I happened to find the two you see with me. The falcon on my shoulder is Joseph, a friend I have relied on once before in a mission as tricky as this. The other is Caguuror, a young shifter whom wishes to help as well. I trust both."

The Silver's gaze did not lose any of its hardness as the reaper spoke. If anything they grew harder. Her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath through the nose. "What is that smell on the two shifters? It is not of this place."

"You see," began Tamreta.

"Be still," ordered the Silver. Though her voice was quiet it held enough power that the reaper immediately stopped what she was about to say. The sasquatch glanced at her before she locked eyes with first Caguuror, then Joseph. "Why do you stink of some other power, and do not entertain the thought that you can lie to me. I will know if you try."