Mistic Pets

Welcome to Issue 81
Created by The Mistic Pets Team

The Lost Notes from Jones' Journal
Written By Skyhawk

The Lost Notes from Jones' Journal

Current Location: Somewhere on the plains near Razela. Camp is located near the tree line upon Barnaby’s suggestion in case of predators.

Braenon Exhibition Notes

Day 1: The Bouquet

What luck we had today! We have successfully tracked down a bouquet of Braenon. I must stress that today’s achievements were a huge success. These creatures are very elusive, despite their bright colors. It’s a question I hope to solve over the next couple of days of studying these creatures: How does a bright pink creature elude us so easily? The answer isn’t clear, but I have hope. Barnaby has suggested we build our camp closer to the tree line to keep our presence concealed to the bouquet; we have agreed to let the group settle down before we begin our observations; they seemed a tad jumpy when we first arrived, but began to settled down once we set up our camp. We can hear them and see them just in the distance all day, suggesting that they do not travel far from their homes.

Day 3: The Attack in the Skies

After a few days of settling into our camp we found ourselves in an unusual predicament. Barnaby and I had agreed to leave the group of Braenon alone for the first week due to their very flighty nature (no pun intended). We thought our best way to gain their trust was simply to have them get used to our presence. They did seem comfortable with the area we chose and we were still close enough to keep records of their locations. All seemed very peaceful until around sunset. The group of Braenon was unfortunately attacked by two larger Belragothes. According to my past observations, it is very rare for Belragoth to ever travel in pairs, but these two seem to have similar traits and markings, suggesting they were probably siblings roaming together. It was unusual behavior, but I did not come to the plains to study Belragothes; I was more concerned about the family of Braenon.

Barnaby and I left camp as soon as we could, taking only the supplies we could carry on our backs. We observed that the females in the bouquet had picked up the pups and began to carry them off to safety. Unfortunately we did not observe where safety was as they had vanished from view while we were in the middle of packing. The ones that had remained near our camp were the males. The alpha male had fought off the Belragothes as long as he could with another juvenile male until they were both forced to flee when the battle proved futile.

No Braenon remained within sight of our camp. Barnaby had an idea that they could have fled into the woods and flown into the trees. It was a good thought and provided a lead on where to begin our search. We decided though it would be best to split up. Barnaby went into the trees while I remained to study what had been left after the battle.

There wasn’t much to observe among the grasses, but I was sure I would find something useful if I looked hard enough. There were tufts of fur from the struggle and I took a few samples for later use to help determine the different types of Braenon in the group. These tufts weren't my most interesting find, however; while studying a few tracks made in the mud from the struggle, I felt an odd sensation. It’s difficult to describe in words, but I can only say it felt like someone touching my mind. No words were spoken -- it was merely a presence. I knew a Braenon was nearby. Just as soon as that thought had crossed my mind, the unseen Braenon cried out in a very high-pitched, distressed yelp. In my years of experience, I had never had a creature direct a cry for help at me. The sound was easy enough for me to track. The Braenon had been hiding a few yards away in a ditch, hidden by the long grass. This particular Braenon was the juvenile that had attempted to fight off the Belragoth along side the alpha; he had taken serious injuries to his leg and wings, so had been left behind. Of course I knew we had to leave nature to its due course, but I was far too compelled by this creature to leave it to its fate as night was quickly approaching. Barnaby was sure to be quite upset with me, but I enjoy taking risks. I took the Braenon back to our camp.

Day 4: The Scarred One

Crazy! That is what Barnaby accused me of upon his return to camp. Perhaps my choices had been a bit unorthodox, but my mental capabilities were just as sound as they were when we arrived. I was able to convince him to at least let me treat the injured Braenon. The Braenon was quite calm despite their typical flighty nature. He was the basic Braenon color, pink, and I found it odd I could not spot him in the grass despite his bright coat, but I have since discovered that they apparently have hypnotic markings in their coat (which I will study in more detail later). Despite his young age, this Braenon had several scars all over his body. There were quite a few over his face, the most noticeable being a large one over his left eye. I have a theory that the alpha male behaved aggressively toward him since he was another up and coming male (and a potential threat to the bouquet hierarchy). I need to see more interaction in the group before I can commit this finding to fact, however.

It's rather tedious to constantly describe each Braenon in writing, so I have decided to start giving them nicknames. I have decided to call this injured male Scar. Scar had quite a few lacerations on his paws and legs, which had crippled him quite a bit. Luckily, I had the supplies to treat the worst of his wounds, but I did so with initial hesitation; this was a wild creature, after all, and while Braenon may be notorious for their cuteness, they are also excellent fighters. Barnaby and I did not want to personally witness that behavior. Scar, however, was quite calm when we approached him to tend to his wounds. He made a lot of complex signals when his antennae; they twitched and moved ever so slightly and I have come to think that Braenon communicate through these movements. His tail and wings occasionally moved too, which I assume is part of a system of complex body language. It’s another behavior that’s not entirely clear since it’s only Scar we are really observing. Scar was very quiet during our time together, and this procedure was no exception. In fact, the only time he had ever made a noise was when I had originally found him. He allowed us to treat his wounds without any fuss and he curled up asleep as soon as we finished.

This calmness seemed quite unusual, especially after observing how flighty the Braenon were during the first day of our observations. Barnaby thought that Scar may have had some sort of sickness to bring about this seemingly unusual behavior. We decided to take turns in watching Scar and I agreed to take the first watch.

Later that Night…

Wake: that was all I heard in my mind when I had open my eyes. I had fallen asleep near the camp fire during my shift. The noise in my head was silent again, but the words had echoed. Scar had been sleeping on some blankets we set up for him by the fire, but he was awake now staring at me with an intense look. It was a bit unnerving, but not threatening. After a brief moment of staring back at Scar, I heard two mighty roars echoed that over the plains until all was silent again.

Scar let out a sigh as he rested his head on his paws again before another word echoed into my mind: Danger.

Comments

This article does not have any comments.

Go Back to Articles

Go Back To Issue Overview