There is thief in our midst

[Kailie]

Brothers and sisters, I come to you with grave news. As I entered our guild's vault before dawn this morning, I was passed by a shady character who was attempting to exit. As I reached for my sword to stop this intruder they attempted to knock me to the floor. As we tumbled to the ground, fell several dozen of the items they had stolen fell out of their backpack. In a flash this intruder morphed into a cheetah and bolted out of my eyesight.

I attempted to use my magical powers to blink towards them, but a hex cast on me caused my spell to fail and move me even further from them. I ran over to the dropped treasures and took count of our loss. Even though this thief had dropped some of their ill gotten treasure, they managed to make off with a large amount of valuable goods.

I am placing a 100g bounty on the head of this thief, dead or alive. It saddens me to bring this news to all of you, as this thief is one of us. I present to you evidence that incriminates them beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[Rotaj]

(( Wow, I don't think I've seen a post in the RP forum in my entire stay in 11th ))

[Zaira]

Zaira stalked the forests of northern Ashenvale. She hadn't been home in a long time, but her panther thoughts resided in the now. Her keen senses focused on tracking her prey. Yes. There it was. The scent of the intruder. But it ended here. A low growl rumbled in her throat and her tail twitched. This was as far as her keen nose would take her. She thought about the night elf she was most of the time, and the transformation slipped on her humanoid form. The fierce thoughts, the instincts faded, and her mental acuities grew.

A puzzle. A puzzle a cat couldn't solve. Why did the trail end here. Because the thief was nearby. That meant wartime. She pushed her thoughts. Thought of the moon. Connected with that power that lay beyond the world. Her form bled and shifted, and feathers sprouted. Only one sound escaped her beak.

... 'Oom' ... she said softly.

Her owlish eyes cut through the everpresent shadow of the night elf homeland. She scanned bushes and trees. Her weighty form trundled forward, looking cautiously at every shrub. Her claws flexing and at the ready. THERE! A flutter of white. Moonkin thoughts are very bad at memories, and puzzles, and complex forms - but she thought of elune in a way that no elf could. She reached out to her godess, becoming her avatar in a flash. The moonlight that bathed the whole area coalesced. Focused. Miles of light forming one coherent beam focused in a single spot. The gorund erupted. And the white flutter stopped.

She trundled over and leaned her feathery form down. It was ... a CUPCAKE LINER.

Her prey was close.

For hours she searched. She lifted the branches of bushes and chirped. She hopped up wishing she could climb trees and squawked in annoyance. A deer moved suddenly and was annihilated with a coherence beam of moonllight. Eventually, the tired trundly creature sat down with a thud.

Where WAS this thief. No paw prints. No footprints. Nothing.

She huffed and leaned up against the bark behind her. So tired. Searching all night and nothing to show for it. This moonkin would take a little nap. Maybe think about the lady she was sometimes and see if she had ideas. But first - to rest. She snuggled into the roots of the tree and made a little nest for a restful sleep.

The branches above her moved and swayed in no breeze. The moonkin's breathing slowed. The trunk and bottom of the tree shifted away gently leaving her on the ground. And then the tree-form tip-toed away on quiet roots.

The moonkin snored a little.

[Zaira]

A month after the theft a tired moonkin crept up the stairs of the Northern bank of Dalaran. She moved towards the vaults, clutching her prize. A teller walked with her through a portal back towards the vaults rented by the vaunted 11th hour.

Her feathers were disheveled, and dirty from the long road. A mage in pale dark robes appeared in a flash of arcane teleportation. "Zaira!" she greeted the oomkin cheerfully. "You're back!"

The large creature proffered something in its claws. The mage leaned over and looked, and picked up two handfuls of cupcakes. "So you found the thief it seems. Excelent. We cannot have our vaults raided. It sets a bad precedent. I'll put these back." Kailie motioned to the attendant to unseal the vault.

The oomkin chirped and walked away.

She yelled at the departing creature, "I take it the vandal was dealt with appropriately?" Farther down the corridor the moonkin waved as her feathery form exited the bank vaults.

The attendant undid the mighty wards and opened the portal to the room beyond. Just before Kailie put the cupcakes back she paused - looking at the blue frosted treats left to her by the giant bird-beast.

"Wait.." she said to nobody in particular. "Weren't they supposed to be pink?"

-------------------------------------------

The Oomkin rested against a tree-trunk in one of Dalaran's many parks. She was tired. Maybe what she had done wasn't EXACTLY what was asked for, but the theft was replaced and everyone was happy. Or she hoped they were happy.

One of her druid-pack-mates found her sitting there.

"Heya Oomie!" said Dessahna cheerfully, sitting down and arranging her skirts and putting down a picnic basket. "Nice to have you back!"

The oomkin 'squawked' in acknowledgement and thanks.

Dessah started to pull out a lunch of mustard dogs, fine Trias cheese and of course delicious velvet cupcakes for dessert. She proffered some to the giant bird-beast. "Want some?"

The oomkin looked past the mustard dogs. Past the cheese. Past the light summer wine. And locked her owlish gaze on the cupcakes.

'Squawk' she said.


And had cupcakes for lunch.

[Cathela]

((Great work so far guys. Nice to see this forum getting some use.))

[Dessah]

Dessahna watched her feathery friend munch…no…inhale the cupcakes. She had been looking forward to this lunch, feeling like this somehow made up for some of Zaira’s recent journeys.

Dessah laid down on the grass, gazing up at the blue sky, enjoying the quiet breeze rustling through the leaves of nearby trees. She remembered that day in Ashenvale when she first encountered the trundly moonkin on the search for the thief…

Dessah, having recently baked some goodies, had been taking a walk through the forest near her home in Ashenvale, nibbling on a fresh cupcake. Suddenly she had sensed someone…something there, but what was it? A faint odor of…cheese?

Dessah instinctively gulped down the cupcake as she silently transformed into a grand tree, blending in with her neighboring tree-folk.

She gasped as she watched a poor deer fall to the ground at the hand of this menacing beat, but wait… Zaira? What on earth was Zaira doing out here killing deer?

Dessah blinked in surprise and then relaxed her branches a bit, allowing her leaves to rustle in the light breeze. “Be natural, relax”, she told herself.

Suddenly there was a flash of light; Zaira had caught something. Dessah’s branches stiffened as she strained to see what it was. No way. The cupcake liner? Realization hit Dessah. Her oomie friend was looking for the cupcake thief - her.

“Stupid stupid stupid!” Dessah scolded herself silently. Wondering what Zaira’s intentions were, should she find Dessah, the tree closed her eyes, relaxing her branches once again, and waiting.

She heard the creature walking, running, sniffing, squawking, clawing…and then it happened. Something hot, sweaty, and smelly fell against her trunk.

Dessah didn’t dare open an eye. She waited.

She felt the ball of matted feathers sigh and move and then she heard it. A snore.

“Yes!!” she almost screamed in delight. Both eyes popped open as she looked down at poor Zaira. Carefully and quietly Dessah removed the evidence from Zaira’s claws and backed away, resting the moonkin softly onto the ground.

Hopefully her friend wouldn’t wonder where the tree was that she fell asleep on.

The two night elves had crossed paths many times since that first incident, with Dessah barely escaping, and leaving Zaira in a tired, sweaty heap, empty-handed. The night elf felt kinda bad about everything Zaira had been through in the search for the cupcake thief…fires, burnt feathers, ice, tar pits, poison, slime, and the like.

To Dessah’s knowledge, Zaira didn’t know she was the one who had raided the vault. And she must never know. No one could ever know why Dessah would choose to go to this extent for cupcakes. Never.