I think the other 2 before me got this one :)

I also think it's reflection

I believe it is a reflection, though, I believe everyone else has said that already. lol.

The story is great so far.
I am really enjoying all the wonderful details you provide.
Keep up the fantastic work!

~Riddlemaster~



"Very good, very good! You might just be the next Sphinx. I guess I'll just have ta take off ya nose first! Ah, don't gimme that look, I'm just messin with ya. Enjoy your little pet while it still lasts..."




With an eerie grin, the flytrap of his tail opens, depositing an egg into your hands. You try not to cringe away as the wet teeth brush your skin. Riddlemaster chuckles as you tentatively hand him a few glittering coins. Seemingly satisfied, he winks at you, which somehow only intensifies your discomfort. And then he is gone, his webbed wings carrying him up into the nooks and crannies of the trees.


_{First correct answer was Dragonsrcool54 with the answer "Reflection." Click on the egg to follow the prize link.}

a reflection

can i name my kit?

Kit is simply Kit, a name given by the game!

awwww i could i wold have named him thunder

Day 3


Something is chewing on your fingers. Opening you eyes, you see Kit, tugging on your hand as well as he can with his delicate size. His ears are flat against his head, and his fur is on end.

Something is wrong.

You sit up, quickly and quietly removing Kit from your hand before sitting up.

"Shhh," you whisper to Kit, getting out of bed. Dawn is just arriving, and your room is dimply illuminated by the light from the window. Stepping carefully, you make your way to the door, turning the knob. You crack it open listening for any movement. Nothing.

'Puffadores will typically detect a dangerous situation long before other Sylesties or even their owners will notice.' You remember the words in the old guide; if Kit senses danger is about, you believe him.

In a hushed voice, you tell Kit to stay, which he takes to heart. He hides beneath the covers, his form trembling. You slip out into the hallway and press the door shut.

The still silence of the morning hangs over the house, eerie and unnatural. Surely, there should be birds calling by now, but there are no sounds to be heard. A terrible feeling overtakes you, and you suddenly understand Kits fear. It feels as if something has occurred, something that has gone against all natural laws.

You can see a bit downstairs, to the door, but not much else. There is little light, but you can tell that the door- the door you locked- is open.



Go down and investigate OR See if there is a way out upstairs


Vote here, the game will continue after most players have cast a vote.

<sub>Player
Health Points: (10,000/10,000)
Effects: None
Location: Riv's Lakehouse
Pack Items: Empty water jug, full can of predator repellent, tent, pocketknife, flint and steel, First Aid Kit.

Kit
Health Points: (5,000/5,000)
Effects: None
Location: Riv's Lakehouse
Abilities: Strong senses, danger detection</sub>

Day 3 - Continued


Swallowing back your fears, you force yourself to begin down the stairs. As you descend, you realize there is a trail across the floor, as if something had been dragged through the door. Upon closer inspection, it is revealed to you that the dark stains are blood. You recoil, suddenly more alert.

Your eyes follow the drag marks until they stop in the living room. There is a still lump laying there, a mere silhouette in the early days light. It appears to be an animal of some sort. There's the faintest fringe of fur sticking up from what you can see. Whatever it is, it looks dead. But what had dragged it all the way

"It's you," says a velvety voice.

You nearly jump out of your skin, whirling around faster than a dive-bombing Griffi.


-Tellus-



"Tellus!" you gasp, clutching at the heart that nearly fell out of your chest. "Give some warning, would you?"

The captain of Riv's patrol narrows her eyes. "A warning is what we have come to give you."

Puzzled, you can only look at her. "Warning?"

She nods, padding past you to the lump on the floor. She nudges it gently, and it stirs.

"Eshmelle, awaken," she murmurs.

The other, which you know recognize as Lupora, lifts her head weakly.

"Forgive me, Tellus," Eshmelle rasps. You draw a little closer. Now that your eyes have adjusted, you can see a perfect perforation directly through her chest, clearly not made my anything natural.

"Hush, do not speak," Tellus says.

Turning to you, Tellus speaks: "She is in need of medical attention. I would be most grateful if you could find a strong elixir, perhaps a potion of some sort. We arrived in the night, and I would have then treated her, but I know not the inscriptions of your kind."

You nod, hurrying to the supply closet. Pulling the sting, you search for something powerful. Your hands claps a purplish-red potion of sorts, and you quickly scan the label. This should hopefully do the trick.

Returning to Tellus, you kneel beside Eshmelle and pull the cork off.

"Can you lift your head to drink?" you ask.

Eshmelle's muzzle slowly turns to face you, and you place the bottle against her mouth. She downs it quickly. Immediately, a faint glow gathers over the massive hole. But as quickly as it comes, the aura is suddenly corrupted by a darkness.

Eshmelle's eyes widen, her mouth open and gasping for nothing as a powerful shudder overtakes her body. You scramble back, watching in horror as the darkness surrounds her before collapsing in, scattering more holes across her damaged body. Tellus is cowering, her powerful composure vanishing with the tail tucked between her legs.

As soon as the darkness has sunken through Eshmelle, it vanishes, leaving no trace. Immediately, Tellus is by her side, turning her limp body over.

Tellus curses something sharp and biting before turning to you. "You are in danger. This lake and its surrounding relics are the last stronghold. There is something out there, something dark and awful, not even I know what, and it has just slain Eshmelle by some unholy power." A snarl is beginning to form on her pretty face.

"But.." You look at the oddly contorted body of Eshmelle. "Something like this...is impossible," you protest weakly.

"The proof is before you."

"Does Riv know?"

Tellus' shoulders sag, and she seems to deflate. In a quiet voice, she tells you: "Riv is gone."

Riv knows this forest better than he knows himself. He knows every plant, every creature, every sanctuary and every danger. He can't be gone.

"He vanished days before your arrival. We were patrolling, he was taping the sounds of the new Aurleon chicks, a few miles from here. We were meant to rendezvous at noon, and when he didn't show, we went looking. All we found were the tapes, and on old door..."

She looks torn, her gaze wandering from you and back to Eshmelle.

"They took him from us, just as they have taken sweet Eshmelle," she whispers, falling to her haunches.

You ponder the words, turning them over in your head. It is likely that what Tellus has told you is true, despite it being impossible for anything to just vanish. Lupora have a strong sense of smell, and you know that if Riv had wandered anywhere, they would have found him.

Your eyes fall to Eshmelle. The holes, and the way that darkness just... An unwanted shiver prickles your skin. Kit had been correct; something here is very wrong.

"Tell me about the door."

Tellus looks up at you, head cocked to one side as if confused."Door?"

"You said that when you discovered the tapes, there was a door."

She nods, as if in a trance. "Just a door. Wooden, peeling white paint. Not unlike the ones in this home."

"Is that all?"

Her shoulders slouch up and down in a shrug. "Those doors began popping up years ago. Always different, unique. Theyre harmless, as far as we know, but they are rather unexplainable. Riv said it was due to a malfunctioning portal elsewhere. We use them mainly as landmarks."

"Odd," is all you can think of to say.

There is a moment of silence before you work up the nerve to ask: "What about Eshmelle?"

"I will carry her to our burial grounds," Tellus states. "Her spirit will be returned to Valeuna."

Tellus, with care, nudges her snout underneath Eshmelle's midsection. With precision, she gently rolls the body onto her back.

"I shall return," she says, somewhat distant. Before she slips through the open door, you call out to her.

"Wait! I mean, uh Those tapes. If I may ask, where are they?"

She hesitates, but answers: "Riv's room."

Then, she is gone into the strengthening morning sun. For a very long minute, you stand in the bloodied living room, your mind attempting to catch up to all the information. Eshmelle is dead at the hands of some nameless entities, which, you now realize you forgot to ask about. Riv is also missing, taken by whatever thing tore Eshmelle to pieces. His final tapes reside in his room. There is a shocking amount of blood soaking into the floorboards. Kit is scared out of his mind, hiding upstairs.

First, you close the door. That seems to be the logical step into what is turning out to be a heck of a morning. Next, you do what you can to get rid of the blood. It will do Kit no more good to see such a thing, seeing that he's already afraid. Once you are satisfied with the cleaning, you hurry upstairs to find Kit, who is still under the covers.

He responds well to your soothing tone, and in no time at all is following at your heel into Rivs empty room.

Just as Tellus said, the tapes are there, on the bed. They're in neat cartridges, all three of them.




Listen to tape one, two, OR three

Vote here, the game will continue after most players have cast a vote.

<sub>Player
Health Points: (10,000/10,000)
Effects: None
Location: Riv's Lakehouse
Pack Items: Empty water jug, full can of predator repellent, tent, pocketknife, flint and steel, First Aid Kit.

Kit
Health Points: (5,000/5,000)
Effects: None
Location: Riv's Lakehouse
Abilities: Strong senses, danger detection</sub>