Cleef and his family.(open)

[Cleef]

Cleef stood outside the catus's entrance. He didn't want to try squeezing in right away. Instead he wanted to see if he could spot anything unusual first. So far all he saw was the signs of a struggle, stray feathers (so far all Elf owl feathers), and the family's belongings scattered about. Cleef sighed and was about to look away when he spotted something that didn't belong..........it was a feather, dyed in a rainbowy way with blue, yellow, and red. Cleef reached in with a talon and withdrew the feather. "Great" he said to himself "I've found a lead........the only problem..........they could be anywhere." Cleef took one last look and without fnding anything flew down to his parents' burrow and walked inside. Hoping Tinker had found something that would narrow it down just a little.

[Sompom]

After prodding around for awhile longer, Tinker had still found nothing of interest. He prepared to return to the burrow's exit. As he turned around, he placed his foot in something cold. Peering down, he discovered the ground underneath his foot was damp. He scratched away some of the surface, but the liquid had not penetrated very far. It was not sticky and it was colourless, he therefore assumed it to be water.
Before he had finished considering the patch, Cleef flew into the burrow. "Come look at this and tell me what you make of it" Tinker said. "Did your family have any way of carrying water into the burrow?"

[Cleef]

Cleef walked over to Sompom and looked at the puddle. Cleef closed his eye's and thought. "I do remember that they had a bucket made from Mu medal and they did use it to transport water so they didn't have to move every time they needed a drink. They stored the water in an Others glass jar that they traded from Trader Mags" Cleef opened his eyes and looked around. He spotted what he wanted, the Mu medal pail and the jar. Cleef had a pain of sadness but quickly shook it off thinking "There's no need for that yet......find them first".

Cleef looked at Tinker "I guess they haven't been gone for too long then. Our culprits, though relate to this." Cleef held up the tie-dye feather "Which means two things......one is that they could be anywhere and two is that they will either stand out or be unnoticeable all together." Cleef now realized he hadn't taken the time to figure out what kind of feather it was. He examined it closer but realized it was useless. The feather was too dyed. "Can you make anything of it?" Cleef asked.

[Sompom]

Tinker took the feather, judging by its arc it was a wing feather, but it could have been from any bird, not necessarily an owl. It could have been from several places on the wing too, depending on the size of the bird.
"The only thing I can say," Tinker muttered, "is that, since you found it in the cactus hollow, it was from a fairly small owl. Other than that, very little is contained in this simple thing."

[Cleef]

Cleef thought for a moment. What Sompom said sounded right and understandable. Cleef closed his eyes once again for a minute and then snapped them open. He looked at Tinker with a light in his eyes, held out his talon for the feather, and said "Ever been to a grog tree in the desert of Kuneer?"

Cleef lighted down on the middle cactus. The grog tree of the desert was actually a group of cacti that grew close together. Besides being cacti the deserts grog tree was pretty much like all others. Grog trees were the place to get events and news before the Ga'hoolian press started posting news and events about. Cleef and Tinker had made a plan to try to blend in and find anything out. If all else failed they would start asking the residence of Kuneer burrow to burrow if they knew anything.

[Sompom]

"No," said Tinker, disgust evident, "I never have been, anything that clouds the mind seems as poison to me."
Tinker followed anyway. He landed in the area where the larger, non-desert owls stayed, and ordered a drink. He carefully avoided drinking it while listening to the conversations around him.

[Cleef]

Cleef ordered a drink and listened to the owls around him. He had simply ordered some cactus water which he knew a lot of by passers did. Cleef took a sip of the water and listened to a conversation behind him that sounded helpful. "Hey" said an owl with a drunken tone "Did you see that funny group of owls flying north.?" The owl paused to take a drink Cleef heard him slurp. "If I didn't know any better I woulda thought they had been a lot of lost kraals. They was all colored up in dye and were carrying some loot and captured owls. I feel bad but I couldn't do notin. They was carryin battle claws and swords. I wouldn't a had a good fightin chance." Cleef turned around and looked at the owl "What kind of owls were they taking?" The owl replied "I think it was two burrowing owls and another two elf owls." Cleef's throat went dry "Where they still alive?" "I think so." said the owl "There was no blood or notin. Why did you know the owls?" "Yes" answered Cleef "Did you see the direction they flew?" "I think it was due north by a few points east to be exact." said the owl "You're not gonna have a chance though. Unless you muster a little fightin group. I'd help but as you can see I'm in no fighting condition." Cleef thanked the owl and drank the rest of his water. Once he was finished he flew up and looked for Tinker.

[Sompom]

The talk at Tinkers table was a little less wobbly, as the larger owls were mostly passing through and were just stopping for a quick beak and a drink. Also, since most of the owls were just passers by, none were talking overmuch and Tinker didn't hear much more than the occasional grunt. Dispirited, Tinker headed back to where he had seen Cleef go, and heard the rest of his conversation. He cursed the small owl, he had argued the most for secrecy, and now he was spilling his whole life's story into his drink. What had he ordered anyway? Tinker would have to have it out with Cleef when they were outside of prying ears.

[Cleef]

Cleef saw Tinker and landed on a cactus a good distance away from the grog tree of Kuneer. Cleef waited for the Greater Sooty to land then Cleef asked "Did you find out anything?" Cleef felt a little itch for telling what he had heard and his plan but he waited for Tinker. For all Cleef knew there could be more that was heard. But they where also loseing time for all else Cleef knew.

[Sompom]

"No, I heard nothing. The area in which I sat was full of owls not local to this area, none knew of local events and none were drunk enough to say anything they didn't expressly mean to say." Tinker said, shortly. "Speaking of which, Cleef, you need to watch your beak. Had any of the owls there been of ignoble goals, they could follow us half way around the country with the information you gave them."

OOC: I've been reading The Scarlet Letter all evening, and even I can see it shows in my speech... I definitely tried to avoid it, but I can't think of any other way to say anything! This is perhaps why I'm good at languages, once my mind gets set on a speech pattern, it's difficult to get off.

[Cleef]

(OCC: lolz that's okay. to be truthful I, sometimes but not very often, will be reading a book and the book has a poem in it and even after the poem I am reading in tune of it.)

"I suppose you're right." said Cleef in a tone like the one young uns use when they are scolded "But looking on the bright side the owls I sat around where discussing local events. I've pulled out that my parents where kidnapped by owls whom had their feathers dyed. They where last seen heading in a northeasterly direction. However we do have a small problem.......the owls carry weapons and battle talons.
That is why we must take a detour. Keep your eyes out for any rouge smiths. I do believe that there are a few in the desert." And with that Cleef took off heading for the place that he kept his things and would sometimes break at.

[Sompom]

Tinker followed, unsure of their exact direction but looking for smoke nevertheless. "Smiths in the desert" he mumbled to himself. "That's a new one on me."

[Cleef]

Cleef landed at the entrance of a new burrow. This one belonging to Cleef himself. Cleef looked to Tinker and said "Come inside and welcome to my home." Cleef waked inside. He was disappointed that they hadn't run into any rouge smith's.........then again maybe there where none in the desert. Cleef didn't know his head was starting to hurt again.

Cleef walked over to a battle mask, set of battle claws and a pouch. "I usually only use these for moving certain objects around. They are adjustable and should be able to fit quite nicely.......that is of course if you'd like to use them. We'll need at least a bit of protection."Cleef said this gesturing toward the battle claws. Cleef then grabbed the mask and put it in the pouch. Cleef turned to Tinker. "I really don't know how we will manage this Tinker. You can back out if you'd like and I can go it alone. But if you do stay you're going to have to find a battle mask because I fear that we have a fight ahead of us."

(OCC: you know have two choices either A:Leave Cleef and try to help out by sneaking or B: stick with Cleef and find a rouge smith along the border of the Desert and the forest or find another way to get a battle mask or go without one.)

[Sompom]

Tinker cocked his head and looked at Cleef. After a moments pause he said "Why don't you wear the battle claws? I've used them before, but I imagine you have as well, and they seem to be designed to fit you, although I could probably wear them too. We need to find a smith. Although I don't need a mask, it would be better to find one, and it would be stupid for one of us to fly unarmed."

[Cleef]

Cleef was happy that Tinker was once again with him. "You lead the way for once Tinker. I feel like I've been dragging you.." with that Cleef walked out of the hollow and lifted off. He flew around in circles waiting for Tinker to take the lead."