((note, these are summarized from screen shots I took IG, which can be provided if necessary. I figure this is just a little more IC))

It was one of the rare moments in Khem where things were calm. Talyne sat under a gnarled tree, speaking to her new friend, a mage by the name of Ranallas. They spoke at length of his various ideas and projects, though something was weighing heavily on her mind, and her thoughts drifted. They had recently explored an old Grove, searching for materials he required. He had her companion with her then, an old dire wolf named Sarosh. Sarosh was her constant reminder of home, he had been a fully grown animal when she was but a child, kept by the temple that she belonged to as a guard dog.

As Talyne aged she developed a kinship with the animal, much to the priestesses' annoyance. They felt the young slave would make the animal soft, though it soon became apparent that she was the only one that garnered the creature's trust. When she herself came of age and was sent away, they sent the wolf with her to protect her on her journey as a small token of kindness. Unfortunately, months later, the animal's age was beginning to show. His eyes were not as clear as they once were, his gait painful. The long walk through the Grove had left the animal exhausted, and with a heavy heart Talyne knew she could not longer put her lifelong friend through the danger and violence that is often required of a druid's companion.

Ranallas continued to speak about his new interest in the Mulhorandi pantheon, and the young aasimar smiled, though her gaze and mind drifted elsewhere, to the tame Sand Creeper that stabled near it's rider just outside the town's gate. She remember the encounter with the Brightwater Clan, and she recalled the ferocity with which their breed of Sand Creeper fought against the lycanthropes and daemons that had been plaguing them all. She remembered tending to one of the creature's wounds during the fight, and the surprise at just how much punishment the animal took without faltering. She decided then that a young Sand Creeper would be the ideal companion for the harsh desert, and would perhaps earn her some amount of kinship with the local people that her wolf could not.

There was a lull in the admittedly one-sided conversation with the mage, at which point she stood, brushing sand and ash from her robes, and spoke:

“Come Ranallas, the letter about the steam pump can wait. I need to speak with the desert riders about their creepers.”

The mage looks curious and replied with a single word,

“Creepers?”

Talyne smiled, walking to the gates,

“Yes, you've never been to the Oasis? The Sand Creepers are the fastest way there. “

The mage only shook his head as they approached the Rider and his mount.

“See? Creeper.”

Talyne spoke, gesturing to the animal. The mage seemed less than interested, watching the animal with a bored expression. At this point the Rider looked over as the unlikely pair approached, though he remained silent. Ever shy, the druidess laughed awkwardly and said,

“He's never been on a Creeper, apparently. I've been meaning to learn more about them after watching the Brightwater's fighting breed.”

The Rider replied, his tone dry as the sands on which he stood;

“You want the Anari for that.”

Talyne offered a shy smile,

“Who should I speak to?”

Still disinterested, the dusty rider spoke,

“The Keepers near the pens.”

The aasimar, used to the curt way of the people here, continued on.

“Thank you, I will. For now, would you mind providing the ride there?”

She offered the man twice his usual fee, and soon enough the druid and mage were at the Oasis, Ranallas scrambling off the Creeper as quickly as he was able, Talyne laughing softly the whole time. They made their way to the holding pens for the Creepers, attracting the attention of the animals' caretakers. Talyne bowed her head to the pair, speaking respectfully,

“Greetings, I've been told you are the ones to speak to, if I wished to know about the animals you tend.”

The mage remained quietly behind Talyne, the Keepers looking between each other before nodding,

“Ask your questions, woman.”

Unflustered, the druid continued; “They seem to be a local creature, I've never come across one in Gheldaneth or the Vale, and I feel I would be lax in my duties as a druidess if I wasn't familiar with all the local animals. Where do you find them, before they are tamed?”

Iteti the keeper was the one to speak:

“The Creeper yes, they live within the vales and canyons of the cliff walls. The wild ones, they rarely venture down into the basins. A shy and retiring beast, though greatly prone to anger and deadly dangerous when riled.”

The druidess looked thoughtful, nodding as she spoke,

“What do they feed on? How is it that you earn their trust?”

Another man came up behind her and the mage and began speaking to them, though she paid him no mind, nodding her thanks to Ranallas as he attended to the pleasantries.

Iteti continued his explanation: “The creatures feed rarely, and it is of water and some small ores, as well as small native shrubs, and fish from the rivers.”

He then adds, as if it was obvious,

“Their trust is earned through training.”

Talyne, refusing to be put off by the locals abrupt demeanor and anxious to make a good impression on behalf of the Mulhorandi, continued her questions respectfully,

“Ores, shrubs and fish...an odd diet, but there are stranger things. How do these creatures reproduce?”

The keeper replied,

“Live birth, the mothers produce a calf. During such time the creeper is not approachable. Until a year has passed the calf is untouchable.”

Talyne nodded her head once more, then explained to the keeper,

“The wolf companion I've had since a child is well into his twilight years. I'm hoping for something that is better suited to the land, and after the jackals I do not think I have the hear to raise another wolf.”

Iteti nodded; “The creeper you are seeking must be taken from the wilds then. These ones, the domestic variety, they do not purpose in battle well. You seek the heights if you wish to claim the year-old calf, woman. This is all we know.”

With that, the keepers turned back to their work as Talyne thanked them. Thoughtfully, Talyne and Ranallas returned to Djedet.

The next morning, Talyne's head was filled with questions. She'd never encountered a creature that had feasted on ores before, though she knew dragons were notoriously indiscriminate eaters. She set out to find Zelly, hoping she had the answers to her questions. She cleaned herself up upon waking, trying to contain her excitement before walking through the town, stopping at Zelly's door, rapping twice upon the wood portal. She was quickly let in, where she found the drowess Jacqueline and Zelly discussing matters.

The druidess cleared her throat anxiously as she took a chair,

"Zelly, I had a few questions I'd like to ask. I pray you'll forgive me the oddity of them."

Ever friendly, the smiling dragon disciple replied,

"I'm sure I will."

Not wasting any time, Talyne abruptly interjected;

“What metal ores taste the best?”

The drowess from across the room piped up, grinning:

“Savey likes silver the best best. Shocking, right?”

Zelly chuckled and rubbed her chin before speaking,

“That depends on the mood I'm in. Precious metals always taste best, though. Personally, I like gold. It's a lot softer than most metals, and tends to be a little tart.”

The copperkin was interrupted by a new voice,

“Did someone say silver?”

A young silver dragon, presumably the drowess' familiar, came around the corner of the room, immediately garnering everyone's attention. Jacqueline's grin never faded as she replied,

“Not for consumption.”

Though Talyne replied, scratching her head,

“Well, sort of.”

The dragon only had one word at this point: “Tragic.”

Zelly, still chuckling asked of the druidess;

“Why do you ask, Talyne?”

The aasimar replied,

“I'm trying to tame a sand creeper, and apparently they eat metal ores. In my experience, food bribes are usually the easiest way to manage an animal.”

Jacqueline interjected;

“Hmm...I agree with Zelly, precious metal are a good start.”

The copperkin elaborated,

“With such creatures, the more expensive the ore, the more rich it is, and thus the tastier it is!”

The drowess, her own curiosity rising, asked,

“And by more rich, I believe she means more pure...not alloyed with other metals, yes?”

Talyne's brow furrowed as she tried to digest the alien ideas, scratching her neck. Zelly clarified,

“Well, not really. Rich, as in flavor. Like rich chocolate, only not nasty.”

Still inquisitive, the drowess presses,

“Well, doesn't it get, err...dirty, if there's other stuff in it?”

The silver dragon quieted Jacqueline with his reply, said in a low rumble;

“That is ~my~ preference Jacqueline, not necessarily others.”

Talyne shook her head briefly to clear it and get back on track, turning to Zelly,

“Well, Zelly, can your company get me a box of...ah...tasty ores?”

The disciple went over to a corner of the room, asking;

“How much would you like? I brought some of my metal with me”

Talyne shrugged,

“Apparently they don't have terribly large appetites. Whatever you think would be enough to last though a few days of training.”

The copperkin scratched at her cheek, turning to rummage through a box, then laughing at it's contents,

“Well, you can have as much as you like. I have plenty!”

Exasperated, the little druid exclaimed,

“Oh, I really have no idea about these sorts of things, it's so unusual.”

Zelly took an armful of gold ore out of the box,

“Well, just come back for more if you run out, then. I'd suggesrt only using the gold as gifts or treats, and not for it's regular diet. The copper and zinc that's located around here naturally is probably what he's used to, and is likely the healthiest choice.”

Talyne nodded, and went for her money pouch at her belt,

“How much do I owe you?”

Before she could finish her sentence, the draconic woman waved her off,

“You don't owe me anything for these. I was just going to eat 'em anyway.”

Startled, the assimar meekly replied as she put the ores away;

“Well, alright. Thank you, Zelly.”

Her questions answered, the three then sat down and began discussing other matters.

Talyne spent the next two days soaring over the cliffs of Khem in the form of a large, sturdy Raven, keeping her eyes open for the silvery glint of a Creeper's hide. The first day her flight over the southern half of the island revealed nothing, so she returned to the town and became occupied with tending to the recovering Arbitrator. Her search the next afternoon wore on with no sign of the animals, but she continued northwards doggedly until she was rewarded with the sight of two creepers, one large, the other small. She perched on the cliffs nearby and watched, and it became apparent that they were a mother and calf pair, or which the Handlers in the oasis warned her about. The shapeshifted druid alighted on a rock, content to observe.

The older creeper however, noticed her and bellowed a challenge, the temperamental beast startled even by the appearance of an unusually large bird. She took to the air again. so as not to bother it. She watched for a moment more, and began to notice a trend between the mother and calf. The calf would sometimes explore smaller crevasses that the mother could not follow, and without fail the mother would attempt to follow, before bellowing to call the juvenile back. Amused, the aasimar flew between a narrow gap only the juvenile could follow, and resumed her normal form. The mother as expected bellowed a challenge, but could not get to the druidess through the small passage. Talyne went through her bags and pulled out some of the ore Zelly had given her previously, and put it where the juvenile could see it before stepping out of sight.

The juvenile obliged surprisingly readily, rushing over to investigate the treat. Talyne smiled, though her victory was short-lived. The creature only sniffed the metal twice before running off, disinterested. Not sure what was wrong with the offering Zelly was sure it would enjoy, the little druid moved forward to collect it, watching the pair of animals through the crevasse as she thought through her next move. She didn't have long to wait, for the Asabi of the area must have caught her scent, rushing down the canyons with their unnerving, hissing cries. The mother of the calf, sensing the immediate danger, turned and charged the lizardfolk, battling them fiercely. Talyne rushed out of the crevasse to help the creature, calling down flurries of lightning to scatter the Asabi, though it was no use.

Though the lizards were dispatched, the adult Sand Creeper lay dying from it's wounds, and was too far gone for her magic to restore. She watched sadly as the calf nudged the dead mother, with a pang of guilt that she might have been the one to rile the Asabi. The calf did not linger long, burrowing quickly into the sand, and disappearing.

Talyne is anything is not stubborn and patient. Settling back into the sturdy raven shape, she winged her way back south to the Oasis, where she gathered as many ferns and fronds as a magic bag could carry. She rested only a moment to sip some water and eat a piece of bread before flying back north again, to find her Creeper. Her keen eyes caught the glint of a silvery snout poking from the sands after only a short span of flying northward. Se circled once before landing on the hot sands, her form shimmering and resuming it's natural shape. The young creature observed her fearlessly, half-submerged in the sands. Talyne moved to the shade beneath the cliffs, tossing a fresh fern to the creature, then another halfway between them. She then sat beneath the cliffs with more leaves in her hand, and settled herself to wait.

In time, the creeper calf emerged from the sand and took the closest frond, chewing slowly as it regarded the druidess. She held still. After many long minutes it moved to the second clump of leaves. Talyne watched in anticipation, but they were interrupted by a solitary Asabi and it's retinue of snakes.
The snakes swarmed the young sand creeper and Talyne swore to herself, rising fluidly and taking up her bow. She dispatched the lizardman with a hail of arrows, and turns to begin casting against the snakes but to her surprise found that the calf had not only survived the attack, but had left a mess of dismembered snakes all around it. Talyne nervously set her bow aside and lowered herself to the ground, resettling the leaves. The calf continued to quietly chew it's leaves, staring at the druidess, unbothered by the violence moments ago. Soon enough it finished the snack, eyeing the leaves the aasimar held.

More long minutes passed with Talyne murmuring quiet nonsense in Celestial, so that the animal became accustomed to her voice. Eventually the animal approached, snapping the leaves out of her hand and nearly taking fingers with it. She winced and her breath caught, but she kept her composure, wording through the incantation 'Speak with Animals', drawing forth another frond. She spoke simply to the animal,

“Gentle.”

The calf was disinclined to listen, snatching the shrubbery away again, and then butting the druiddess insistently for more. She calmly drew more food from her magic satchel, repeating her words,

“Gentle.”

The creeper went to snatch the the leaves again, but Talyne pulled them back, speaking firmly but calmly;

“No. Gentle.”

The creature sat back on it's haunches for a moment, regarding her critically. Then she was met with success, the animal taking the leaves with more calm, staring at her as it chewed. Then she slowly stood, offering more leaves to acclimatize the calf to her usual height. It back off and reared, bellowing, trying to intimidate her. Talyne stood calmly, regarding the animal with an unimpressed stare, speaking nonsense quietly to calm the calf. It eventually settled, taking more leaves from her hand, perhaps a little petulantly. She then walked past the animal to the other side of the path they stood on, waggling more leaves. She spoke again, in the same sweet voice,

“Follow.”

After a moment of hesitation, the animal obliged, ambling after her and taking more leaves, sitting on it's haunches beside her as it chewed. She decided to repeat the exercise, feeling the command important, moving off and taking out the last of her leaves.

“Follow.”

This time, the calf did not. It seemed to grow bored with the game, looking around before disappearing under the sand in a flurry of dust. Talyne blinked at the dust, a slow frown of disappointment crossing her features. She walked over to a nearby stone and rapped a rhythm on it, hoping the vibrations through the sand would coax the creeper out. The desert remained quiet though, and there was no further sign of the animal. She druidess sighs quietly, and then trudged back to the oasis, refilling her bags with more fresh fronds, then moved into the water to pray. She closed her eyes, calmed her breathing and let the water wash away her frustration. She stayed in meditation for well into the night, preparing her mind to accept a new bond, and steeling herself for the patience it would require.