There was a rustling in the underbrush. The snarf reached for his sword,then paused. There was no obvious threat and to draw the long thin blade against what might prove to be an innocent would be dishonourable. History suggested that a true Samurai warrior - one who lived for honour - would not even draw his blade unless he knew he would deliver the killing blow. A waste of movement would be unprofessional.

On the other hand, Samurai were trained fighters. The snarf was not.

He drew the blade and waited quietly. Leaves and branches rattled and the underbrush coughed up a slim, Siberian Thunderian in a long blue coat. Shreds of bramble clung to her pack and she viciously spit leaves from her mouth. "Geez," she muttered to herself, "hasn't Bast heard of doorways?" Then, sensing another presence, she turned abruptly, pistol drawn. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded of the tall stranger.

"I would ask you the same question, lass," said the snarf, eyes narrowing. "I would guess, however, that you are a player in our Lady Bast's little amusement park."

"Altaica," confirmed the tigress. She adjusted her grip on her pistol. "And you are?"

"You can have your pick of names," said the other, wondering if his blade could deflect pistol-fire, "but most people call me the snarf."

"Oh man...oh MAN!" laughed Altaica half-hysterically. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"

"I assume you aren't thrilled with our meeting."

"No offense, snarf, but I have a *really* low patience level for rants and arguments and they are a *lot* easier to ingnore when they're in the mail." "No offense taken," assured the snarf, sheathing his sword. He was fairly certain that the blade would do him no good. "I am well aware of the fact that I can rub people the wrong way."

"Ha!" barked Altaica. "What gave you *that* idea?"

"The fact that you refuse to lower your weapon despite the fact that I mean you no harm is a dead give away," said the snarf with some annoyance. "Still, I have heard of this character of yours. I suppose some distrust is to be expected. Of course, you don't *need* to travel with me," he pointed out. "We can go our own ways."

Altaica pinched her lips together in an expression of distaste and then put her pistol away. "I don't hate you," she stated as thought trying to convince herself of the fact.

"Well, whether you believe it or not, I'm glad to hear it," said the snarf. "Since you seem adverse to spending time with me, I'll give you a nod and be on my way."

"Wait!" said Altaica after a moment of hesitation. "You're right. We probably shouldn't travel together...we'd be at each others' throats. But..."

"But?"

"But we're both lost out here. Maybe we should keep in sight of each other until we can either find some other players or get a better idea of how this game works."

"Well, if you're willing, I'd be more than happy to make you my travelling companion, milady," the snarf smiled slyly.

"Awwww...what a lovely scene."

Tiger and man both turned to look at the new comer. The Thunderian panther bore more than a passing resemblance to Panthro, though he was taller and of a slighter build. He also had hair...waves of dark hair which tumbled down his back in an ebony waterfall, spilling over the guitar which he'd slung over his shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?" snapped Altaica, drawing her pistol once more. The stranger looked a bit surprised, but didn't react in a negative way. Instead he lifted his hands in the air and pleaded innocence.

"I'm safe! I swear! The weapon on my back is mainly to power my armour. Hey," he mused, "aren't you Altaica?"

"Ye-es...and this is the snarf. You?"

"ThunderManx. Mad Bassist online...*you're* the snarf?"

"You sound surprised," smiled the taller man.

"I never pictured you as being so...big," replied the panther, making a vague gesture.

"Aye. Decided that my natural state would make me a better protector of Snarfs than being a Snarf myself," said the other with a wink.

"Not to mention fight off your 'admirers,'" grinned ThunderManx before shaking his head in self-exasperation. "Sorry, man, that was rude."

"But true. I have no illusions." "Still uncalled for," insisted the panther, clapping the taller man on the back. "So what are we up to?"

"We?" asked Altaica with suspicion.

"Well, I *did* overhear you making travel plans, didn't I?"

"Indeed," said the snarf. "We had merely agreed that there would be safety in numbers."

"At least until we see if we can find any other players," added Altaica.

"Sounds logical to me!" grinned ThunderManx. "Mind if I join you? At least until we find other players," he finished with a nod toward Altaica.

The others agreed with a nod and the trio started out, fighting their way through the underbrush.

*********************

Rhythm was creating small eddies of air. He had begun doing so with patience, but his patience was wearing thin. He knew that he had only begun the game, and he knew that he was required to start at a low power level, and he *knew* that he needed to gain experience before he could perform any great feats of weather manipulation, but he had at least *hoped* for something a little more spectacular. So absorbed was he that he failed to notice the figure who approached behind him.

"Ha! Had I been of evil intent, you would have been dead!"

Rhythm jumped in surprise and turned to face the barrel of high-tech rifle. He reacted with panic, projecting outward forcefully as he brought his arms forward in a throwing motion. The rifle was blown out of the relaxed hand that held it and lightning snaked from the player's hands.

The intruder fell back in shock, but he reacted swiftly. His body armour spread to cover his limbs and a heavy heat shield surrounded his body. The lightning struck it and was absorbed though the stranger winced with the effort of deflection and was forced to drop the protective wall. While he panted with overexertion, Rhythm had a chance to really look at the newcomer.

"Xahji?" he asked, recognizing elements of his friend's description in the person before him. Then his eyes widened as the reality of the situation sank in. "XAHJI!"

"Of course!" grinned the other, grasping his friend's hand and clapping him on the back. "You were expecting Sailor Scouts?"

"In this landscape, *that* sort of company would be welcome," snorted Rhythm, with a sweeping gesture.

They were on the verge of a field of grass. Behind them, the scrub petered out into the foothills of towering mountains. Neither route seemed particularly inviting.

Xahji scratched his head in thought. "Not much of a choice, is there?"

"No," agreed Rhythm. "If I had the ability to fly, I could see out into that field, but that won't come until I'm more experienced. Until then, I'm grounded," he sulked.

"Eyes forward...we'll find a way," said Xahji with more assurance than he felt. "In the meantime, should we fight our way up the mountain or through a field of grass?"

Rhythm thought hard. As he considered the question, he began to notice things on the wind and in the weather. Currents and vibrations that would have meant nothing back home were everything to him in this world. "We're too far North," he said finally. "There will only be more mountains if we follow the path behind us."

"I'll trust your judgement...even if you *did* try to kill me."

"I'm sorry...it was an accident!" protested Rhythm. "You startled me!"

"You should have been prepared," grinned Xhaji, nudging his friend.

"Torment me some more and next time I won't miss!" threatened Rhythm in return. Then he shouldered his pack and turned in a Southernly direction. "Get your weapon and let's go...if we want any adventure, we'll have to head out this way."

Xahji complied and the pair began their search.

*********************

"You've been watching her for hours!"

Kith turned to Cheezey. "She's been doing that for hours...doesn't she get tired?"

Cheezey shrugged. "Beats me...we only ran into each other a short time before you and the other arrived. I think she's trying to artificially raise her experience by pretending to fight enemies."

"Sound idea, I guess," shrugged Kith. "I'd like to be more powerful, but I have to wait until I gain experience too. Still, I just like hanging out with everyone. At least for now. Nothing wrong with having a visit before throwing yourself into the game."

They watched the rhythmic dance before them. Demonprist whirled through patterns and sets of lunges and blocks, sometimes with her weapon and sometimes without. When she did not use it, it was casually thrown into the air or into the ground, disappearing with only the faintest shimmer of displaced air.

"She's good with a blade."

Mummraa flopped down on the grass beside Kith and Cheezey, tucking in a stray bandage. Felina stood beside her, declining to sit as she had a few other matters to attend to.

"Really good," agreed Kith, "but it seems kind of obsessive."

"Well, you know Demon," said Cheezey. "She's going to want to head straight to Mumm-ra's pyramid and it's probably best to be prepared."

"I'd go, but we need to spread the mummy-ness around," yawned Mummraa. I don't know exactly where I want to visit, although I would like the chance to torment someone. Maybe Tygra...even if he *does* attract Elves."

The comment received a moment of eyebrow-raising silence.

"Well...I will certainly head toward Cat's Lair," said Felina. "It will be a pity to know that Demonprist will be on the other side."

"Well, I want to see Skytomb," admitted Cheezey, "but that doesn't mean that I'll forget my friends. It might not even be worth worrying about. After all, we don't even know how the game is played yet."

"True enough," agreed Felina, "but sometimes people get carried away in games." She looked over to where Cheezey's collected campers were finishing their shelters. "I should go. I volunteered to be on water duty tonight and we need to boil as much as possible. We still don't know if the river water is safe to drink."

Cheezey sighed. "You're right...and I should help. The responsibilities of starting a camp," she said, shaking her head. Then she rose and left with Felina while Kith and Mummraa watched Demonprist go through her paces once again.

*********************