A farmer stopped in early one morning to report there were a small group of Woolful seen on the mainland trapped in a ravine. Efforts had been made by the locals to rescue the poor fluffy creatures but no one seemed able to get close to one to rope it off. The creatures were skiddish and terrified, mostly a few adolescents with one female. This seemed like a good task to bring Hanehiko along, as well as Shuna who could help the shaman corral the creatures peacefully. She already was formulating an idea as to how to lift the creatures free of their predicament but it wouldn't be a simple task alone.

Either way, she had to try to rescue the poor things. In a way it would be another thank you to Kurobe, and Taki looked forward to repaying his kind selflessness. She and her familiar loaded onto the Celestial Manta's back and took off for the mainland, arriving at the local town a short time afterwards. After unloading, she headed to the local Tavern to check in with the other farmers and gather any information she could while her companions occupied themselves outside town. She caused a small stir, having not visited for some time but quickly helped get the ruckus under control before making rounds to visit and catch up with everyone. The town had been instrumental in helping the shaman build her home, so she was inclined to help them with any task they might call upon her for. While she was wandering table to table, she inquired if any of the local adventurers might be willing to help her with the odd request... just in case.

Dante's travel to Moonglade had been a pleasant enough affair. But any travel that wasn't in the Ash Lands or The Zeinav Desert made even the uneven earthen road feel like cobblestones. He did keep his hood up and kept to his business. He met a few travelers on the road, chatted with a few, and hid from the mercenary looking ones. He wasn't looking to get mugged or harassed. Most importantly of all, he didn't want any distractions. His rendezvous with the Witch of Moonglade had encouraged him to get a better feel for the nation he'd be serving for the time being. It secured what he needed for himself and his mother, and it was a nice change of pace from the harsh ash and smoking desert.

Finding reprieve at one of the humble little inns in Moonveil Village, he listened in to the locals for a time and inserting himself into conversation to get a better understanding of those around him. He decided having a positive reputation at the outset was best, even if the means were to be humble. Speaking of humble, he couldn't help but notice there was a blue reptilian trying to recruit folks for some sort of adventurous task. Something about Woolfuls.

What hooked his attention was one of the patrons he was speaking to was a tailor. Perfect.

He stood up, set a pair of coins on the bar, and approached the Orochi.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not too late to help." There was a playful jest to the remark as no one else had approached her just yet. Dante had a knack for seizing the opportunity quickly.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Dante Discreet and- oh my you have quite the menagerie, how delightful." He smiled at the small animal kingdom assembled before him.

"That sounds fine with me, I have an idea or two about how we could go about this task but if you've got plans or ideas of your own feel free to share them." Replied the shaman, who gathered her companions and checked her traveling gear before the pair of adventurers headed out into the wilds. Their destination was only a few miles from the town, but getting to the ravine was a challenge unto itself. The area was overgrown, with few trails or open spaces to move through to climb the hill up to the cavernous opening.

Down in the ravine, bleating and milling about in a panicked fashion were a total of five Woolful. One large female and 4 smaller adolescents, each uniquely patterned but similarly colored. The climb down would be dangerous for anyone not properly equipped, and then there was the task of trying to keep the skiddish and frightened creatures in one place long enough for the shaman's plan to work... even if they were brought out one at a time, the problem wouldn't be any simpler. She looked to her new companion, wondering if they'd have some safe way to navigate this terrain.

"I'll be okay getting down into the valley, but it would be good to know if you need any assistance. Do you have some means of getting down into the valley?"

Dante noted the silence and focus Taki displayed during their trek to the Woolfuls. Not a talkative one are we, he thought. That was just as well; it meant one less person who was curious about his business in Moonglade.

The silent minutes ticked and gave way to the present moment at the precipice of a cliffside. The cracked fissures had a size that unsettled Dante who was at the epicenter.

"My gods, I didn't realize the damage reached this far. This is... unsettling." Sure he had heard it, but seeing it in person was a different feeling altogether. He chuckled and said, "I'm not exactly a rock climber. I don't suppose you have something to alleviate this particular burden. Otherwise I'll have to hope a good stretch and strong fingers get me down."

He peered over the edge down into the pit and said, "I'll be of much more help once I'm there. I can calm them down so long as I'm touching them. Think you can help me miss... oh my. It seems I've been traveling with you, and you have yet to tell me your name." Dante had considered asking earlier, but he wasn't sure what the temperament of this stranger was. Still there was something eerily familiar about them that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"My apologies, Shitakibo is my name, or Taki if you prefer. I do indeed have a way to help you down, though it still will require a firm grip and a bit of an adventurous spirit. Shuna." She called to her jungle cat familiar, who came strolling over. The shaman leaned down and whispered a word in Druidic to the feline, who went from being about the size of a larger housecat, to nearly as large as a full grown Tiger in a matter of moments. With all her hands, she spent a moment being affectionate with one of her dearest companions, giving her gentle instruction as she did.

"Shuna will carry you down the cliff safely. If you're able to calm the creatures and bring them all to one area, my companions and I can get us all out safely. I'll need some time to set up a harness we can have Hanehiko carry, but I imagine getting the Woolfuls all wrangled into one place isn't going to be an easy task either." She said as she turned to Dante. She was keen to berate herself for such a late introduction, but understood that the lives and well being of wonderful creatures were the whole of her focus. A strange smile, something between happy, nostalgic and sad crossed her features as she pondered the journey of her life so far. As perilous as the situation was, Taki felt quite introspective in the moment... it was the kind of tranquil she felt sitting atop the outcropping of rock that overlooked her home, listening to the water rush by as she basked in the light of the afternoon sun.

Dante whistled and said, "Well, that's fortuitous." He observed the shift in Taki's expression but didn't say anything. He pondered the question of how to get them into one place and shifted his attention back to the jungle cat. He frowned and said, "I doubt a herd of herbivores are going to be thrilled at the sight of your predator. At the very least they should get out of sight somewhere once I'm down. As for getting them in one place.."

He looked over the edge once more and out at the creatures. He spotted the female, and a smirk streaked across his lips.

"That one's a female correct? Perhaps we should target her first. The males might follow suit if their queen is within arm's reach of yours truly. If we get a straggler then um..." he looked over his shoulder and peered at the cat and said tentatively, "..Shuna? Correct? Yes, she can herd any stragglers. But you know your um.. am sorry, are they pets? I want to say pets, but saying it out loud feels wrong. Animal companions? Hm, that's a little verbose."

He sighed and cleared his throat.

"In any case, it seems much of the heavy lifting is on you. Clearly you have an animal magnetism that I lack. Perhaps if this quest involved wooing beautiful people and making grand speeches I'd be your man. But I'll settle for 'fellblood tranquilizer.'"

"You heard the lad Shuna, make sure to keep out of sight and keep the stragglers from roaming too far. See you down there, try to bring them down to the south end and I'll get the rigging ready for you." Taki concluded, dropping down the face of the cliff and darting down the wildly sheer chasm with silent ease. She reached the bottom without much trouble, watching the progress of Shuna and Dante as she descended.

As she found a good spot, she opened her pack and pulled out various gear. After arranging things on the ground and coming up with a good plan, she started the process of putting it all together. Using the Mend Object spell to great effect, she began building what looked like a large tension trapping bag with braided loops to tie off and carry. It took quite a while to work on, and progress was slow but she kept her focus on the task before her.

Occasionally she would look up and check on Dante's progress, pondering how they'd manage to keep the startled creatures within the area long enough to hook up to Hanehiko. There was much to do and keeping quiet would help not startling the Woolful any further, so Taki set herself to the task at hand, weaving and crafting with what she had in her pack and was available in the area.

Dante didn't necessarily have an aversion to heights as he did misgivings about climbing down a steep cliffside with nothing but a large jungle cat separating him from an early demise. Even with a harness, Dante clung for dear life onto Shuna, and for a brief moment he suspected he ironically looked more like an anxious feline than Shuna did. He found little solace in closing his eyes and decided it was better to look down to at the very least save face and not look like a complete and utter coward. Eventually Shuna deposited him upon the floor of the cavernous valley of broken stone and earth, a sensation Dante found most gracious.

He looked up at the fuzzy creatures and gave Taki a nod, indicating he was ready. He gesticulated in the direction of the female and sought to coordinate his approach with Taki and her animal pals. This was perhaps Dante's most vital role in the operation. He froze behind a boulder when a Woolful male looked up in his direction. Moments passed before they turned their attention elsewhere, and Dante used what little cover he had to get closer.

Eventually he was as close as he could get without waltzing right up to one. He looked over to Taki and the others to make sure they were ready in case things went wrong. He cursed as the distance was just long enough that he could end up spooking the males. He narrowed his eyes and crouched low, stepping slowly towards the female. There was no cover for him, and it'd be only a matter of time before they saw him. The best he could do would be to close just enough distance that by the time they were spooked, he could close the distance with the female.

Once a male looked up at him, Dante didn't hesitate.

He sprinted towards the female once the males reacted to seeing him, and with a deft hand his fingers found her head. He set to casting the Calm Emotions spell immediately, twice over if he could get away with it and plopped down beside her. One of the other males, perhaps the more dominant one was hesitant to join the rest of the Woolfuls. This suited Dante just fine as it might bait the others to come closer. The dominant male made gestures to approach with Dante's presence the only thing keeping him from getting too close. Eventually though he got in Dante's reach and succumbed to the soothing touch of Dante's spell.

It would be up to Taki to get the others as Dante quite literally had his hands full.

Putting the finishing touches on her modified sling, Taki looked up to see the predicament that Dante found himself in. She smiled and looked to Shuna, giving her a signal by hand to circle behind and help push the group towards her. As the massive cat went slinking silently from cover to cover, Taki made her own approach. She very calmly walked up beside Dante, her hands raised out to their sides as her scales started to swirl and flash with scintilatting patterns. The Woolfuls not focused on Dante seemed to be startled at first, but calmed a moment later.

"If you can bring those two, I think we can manage the stragglers. The harness is all set up between those large rocks so we only have a short bit to go." Said the shaman, loud enough that her companion could here as well. She started backing up, keeping her focus on the creatures ahead as her senses guided her steps. The pattern seemed to entice and entrance the Woolfuls, much like it's oceanic inspiration used such patterns to hunt. Slowly but surely they began to lead the herd across the floor of the valley, Shuna trailing the group in case one got loose.

"Well done so far Dante. A bit farther to go, and we can get these silly balls of fluff free of a not so pleasant fate." The shaman said, trying to sound encouraging as she backed up slowly toward the awaiting sling.

Dante stifled a chuckle; it was hard not to be charmed by the cuteness of these cotton balls. Dante gently led the animals, giggling as their fur tickled his hands. They felt so much smaller than they appeared, his hands sinking into the fur like it didn't exist, like it was empty air between his fingers. Taki proved to be far better equipped for this task once more at she and her companions rounded up the rest of the herd. Dante was just about to reach the other side when most of them were already corralled. He gently pulled up the harness and placed the Woolfuls one at a time within the confines of the device.

He sighed and said, "Well, that was... surprisingly easy. But I suppose having a Wool Whisperer would alleviate much of the difficulty."

Dante was surrounded by Woolfuls who were idly sniffing on him with one nibbling on his pants. He pulled away only to find others who were interested in nibbling on him.

"Now, now that's quite alright, I'd rather keep-"

The Woolfuls kept trying to sniff and nibble him. Dante looked back to Taki and asked, "Excuse me, but what's happening? Why are they attacking me? Ack!" Soon he was enveloped in cotton that had slowly pushed him over and were sniffing him all over.

Taki chuckled as she watched the Woolfuls swarm Dante. Well, at least that made this part easier anyway, she thought as a smirk crept across her face.

"Don't worry, you probably smell delicious since we just went trekking through the brush to get here. They won't hurt much, just pinch a bit... endure it for a few more minutes and things will be fine." Assured the shaman, who tightened pair of ropes that brought the entire contraption together. Pressed gently on all sides, the bleating balls of fluff were too distracted by whatever Dante had walked through to pay it much mind. She checked the ropes one last time, then signaled for Hanehiko to descend. Once the great, shimmering ray got into position, Taki fastened a pair of lines to her harness. After walking to the back with a matching pair, the shaman let out a deep sigh and concentrated. Her body shifted, upper arms growing into a pair of large wings as the rest of her body grew. A moment later, she had finished the transformation into a Greater Drake and took hold of the pair of ropes in her powerful claws. With a low, hissing grunt, the pair took to the sky with incredibly powerful beats of wing and fin. The ropes of the contraption groaned and bobbed about as the tension settled, and then the whole bizarre group was off flying up and out of the ravine slowly. After a few passes in the fissure, they were able to clear the opening and move out towards open land. It took the shaman and her companion a bit of time to find a good spot, but after about ten minutes in the air found a suitable place.

Touching down a few minutes later, she shifted back to normal and unhooked Hanehiko from the ropes. Afterwards she opened the contraption by sliding the tensioning ropes away from the center. Still buried in Woolful, she smirked as she fished the fellblood from the pile of fuzz.

"While that isn't exactly what I had in mind, that works just as well. Thank you for your help Dante, and if you're ever in the Crescent Isles, stop in if you need a place to rest or aid." She said, watching the creatures wander off as if nothing at all had happened.

Dante felt like a sack of pillows had been cut up and the content spilled out, burying him in high pressure fluffiness. He tried to say something in protest but only succeeded in getting his mouth stuffed with wool. His muffled voice was drowned out by the drake taking to the skies, and he could feel only one foot sticking out from the endless sea of wool. His body had contorted in a strange prone angle, and he swore his shirt would be full of holes by the time they were done. Given the article of clothing, this was probably the least concerned: the man was practically shirtless to begin with.

Eventually they touched down, and as the Woolful ambled away, a fur covered Dante stared up at the sky in brief disbelief. He brought himself up into a sitting position and spat out a ball of wool. Ugh, I can feel it in my teeth, he thought. He'd be picking his teeth for a hot minute.

"Well that was... something. How ironic that my clothes are eating my clothes." He tossed the tattered remains of his shirt aside as it was ruined beyond repair. He had more, and he had half a mind to shop for fashions more appropriate to the region he occupied.

"I suppose that wraps things up Taki. Perhaps we'll see each other again sometime." With that, he walked back to town and parted ways.