I love a Piano, I love a Piano, I love a P-I-A-N-O-O-O

After a long ride out to an abandoned mine and a long trek through the maze of tunnels, Larianne, Izzy, Chiasa, Nancy, and Clytie managed to finally locate the Magick on the Borderlands, which seemed the only likely volume. Disturbed by the fleeting shadows they imagined were following them, and Clytie claiming she glimpsed a small, lithe figure in black leaping lightly on the rocks at the top of the mine shafts, they returned to the Gearloose Goose as quickly as possible to show the others what they found.

"It was filed under Bagick on the Morderlands, which took a bit of imagination to deduce, but it's the only volume dusty and obscure enough," Nancy explains. "We looked through it, though, and it seems to be some simple chuckwagon and cooking pot spells."

"Obviously useless," Grumpus interjects, "but that inner lining makes a nice scratcher. My claws need it."

He takes a swipe at the front inside cover, but the fabric is so old it shreds open, revealing a sheet of folded brittle parchment, and a thin shard of copper metal in an isosceles triangle shape.

"Oh!" exclaims Vibrissa, "you did it, my studmuffin! You revealed the secret!"

Chiasa and Clytie mouth "studmuffin?" at each other while Larianne bites her lip to keep from giggling.

Izzy takes the parchment from the floor and opens, then quickly gives it to Lappy. "It seems to be in Dog," she says.

Both Lappy and Dapper Spot study the paper closely.

"It's not Dandard Stog," Dapper says, "nor Pupster. I bark both and this is not either."

"Agreed," Lappy nods. "It's not Barken. Yowlish, or Houndic, either. It's a more ancient form. The only one who might know is Yippina."

"Then we need to open our umbrellas and return," Ertrude stands up.

"Not you!" Vibrissa says firmly. "I am under orders to bring you back. Winton's frantic, and I have to call Melian to spell you back if you won't go!"

Ertrude stamps her foot in frustration. "I never get to have any fun anymore. I'm always the wife, or the mom. I want to be ME! So, if I'm going back," she turns to Miranda, "you're coming too, and I want Melian to set us up with those magic communicators she used before. We're going to be Command Central for this, and I'll dump Winton in a beer keg if he tries to stop me!"

Vibrissa purrs happily. "Count me in. Felines have good instincts and we won't let dogs have all the fun."

"Cats..." sighs Lappy.

"Women..." echoes Dapper Spot.

"Awesome," TwoFer chuckles and high fives Grumpus.

"It's Ancient Wolfhowl," says Yippina when they get back to the library and show her the parchment. "I'm not sure how good my skills are, but it seems to point to another trove of books hidden 'between darkness and dawn, beyond blood or bays, and found best by moonlight.' It also speaks of vibrant music, and colors dancing by firelight. It seems to be your next destination, which you can reach if only you show the crystal that you also hear the instruments.

"There's a number here, either 25 or 35, I can't be sure--but you cannot use repeats in demonstrating what you know. I can keep that book and copper piece if you like. They should be safe, and my researchers will study them more, but I think you need to choose your next destination and means of travel, and prepare as soon as you can. Good luck with this one, my friends!"

(OOC: Details of this destination in the OOC topic for this chapter.)