What I Do, I Do for Love

(ooc: July 20. Open to Patch, Rafiki, and eventually Scamp unless we decide otherwise.)

This is crazy! Absolutely crazy! You can't honestly expect the others not to recognize your scent, Patch. This is a death sentence at its finest!

Patch stood at a crossroads. On the one hand, he could turn back and run straight back to the jungle before Angel even knew he had gone anywhere. On the other hand, he knew he had to make up for what he had done. Even if he was risking life and limb by coming back to the Pridelands again, he had to do what he came to do. It was all for Angel's sake. If this would make her happy, then Patch was willing to do what it took to make it happen. All he had to do was seek out someone that could use magic, and Patch knew there were magic users among the heroes. It was a small number, but it was better than nothing. It was even better that he wasn't going to the human villains. They wouldn't be willing to help without some kind of compensation, anyway.

Without further deliberation, Patch sucked in a breath of air and began to walk in to the Pridelands. Patch felt his fur bristle as he walked. He knew it was absolutely insane, but he had to do this. All he had to do was walk in, find a magic user, bring Scamp back, and get out before something stupid happened. The question was... where did he even start looking?

AN old baboon was awake. The old shaman had been disturbed in his sleep. That happened often nowadays. THe spirits had a lot to tell him, but they always started to talk while he was trying to get a good night's sleep. He groaned as he stretched his back, hearing a few of the bones crick in his next. He grabbed his staff and started to hobble outside, his old bones still too sore from that hard cot. One day, he was going to find a good tree or something he could use as the perfect hammock.

He adjusted his position, his keen senses hearing breathing and catching the scent of another person. He sniffed, twice. It seemed to be one of those small dalmation pups. He could never tell which was which. He turned his head into the darkness. He could spot the pup now. "Hello dere! What are you doing up at dis time of night?"

He started to stroll forward, his sore bones forgotten. He was one for company. "Its very late, you should be in bed."

Instinctively, Patch tensed up and dropped into a crouch when he heard someone addressing him. He assumed it was someone out for his blood and quickly covered his face as if he was hoping that whoever it was wouldn't see him. However, when he realized the voice was some kind of friendly he allowed himself to relax and slowly rose from his spot in the grass. Patch hesitated to speak as he looked Rafiki over. He wasn't all that familiar with many of the heroes anymore, but he did know that the baboon hadn't been there when he'd joined the animal villains. Even still, Patch felt it paid to be cautious. Especially at night when the other heroes could be roused at any moment.

"Shhhh. Do you want the others to hear you?" Patch hissed. He wasn't even supposed to be in the Pridelands. He was as good as dead by even being there. But for Angel's sake, Patch had put his life on the line. He didn't even know if it was going to be worth it. "I... I'm looking for someone that can help me. I'm trying to do someone I love a favor." he explained, dropping his tone to a hushed murmur.

Rafiki was a little shoo ken when the dog went into defensive mode. Was he not one of the dalmations? Wait, he knew the story. Their family had been driven apart. This was obviously one of the Animal Villains. THe old shaman sighed in disappointment. He leaned on his staff.

Then, came the news. Wait, what? The pup was trying to do something and was obviously risking his life to do it. Love? The old baboon grinned. Perhaps there was some hope after all.. "And what favor is dat?"

"Well..." Patch glanced around quickly, as if making sure no one else was present, before moving just a tiny bit closer to Rafiki. If he was going to do this, he wanted to do it right. With no interference from anyone else. To do that, he needed to keep his voice hushed and hope that it stayed between him and Rafiki. Once he was close enough, Patch decided to try and explain as best he could without giving the full story away. He didn't want another hero hating him by knowing the full story.

"A few months ago, I did something that made this rift between me and someone I really love. At the time I felt like I had no choice, but now... I wish I hadn't. The long and the short of it is I'm trying to make up for what I did, and I need someone that can use magic to help me." Patch said. It must have sounded crazy. Somehow it had made sense in his head when he had come up with it, but now he wondered if it sounded like he was some kind of crazy for even wanting to try this. "I couldn't go to the human villains because I've had bad experiences with them before. So... I came here. I just really, really, really need to find someone that can try to bring someone back from the dead." Patch said. His words had become a bit more rushed as his explanation wrapped up, but the purpose of his visit was out there. He hadn't said who needed resurrecting, but his message seemed plain enough to him.

Now you just have to hope he'll help find you someone. Patch thought. Looking at Rafiki, Patch didn't think the monkey before him possessed any sort of magic ability. Then again, Facilier hadn't looked like the magical sort either when he'd sought him out to turn him human. Appearances were deceiving. Patch would have done well to remember that.

Rafiki looked down on the small pup for a second, flabbergasted. Back from the dead? That was somethig he had done before. But, it had disastrous consequences. The shaman tilted his head. It did seem like the dal would do anything to correct this mistake. The mandrill scratched his chin, before looking off to the side. "I see."

He turned away from the pup and started talking to thin air. "What do you tink? SHould I help him? Dis might be difficult...."

THe wind picked up savagely, whipping the babboon's fur back. He struggled against it. Oddly enough, the wind was only blowing at Rafiki. "OKAY! OKAY! I get it!"

He whirled around, looking at the pup and slammed his staff into the dirt. "I'll do it! MAgic still runs trough dese old bones yet!"

"You... you will?" Patch asked. Needless to say, the pup was surprised that Rafiki was willing to help. He hadn't expected that for some reason. In fact, Patch had almost expected the idea to be laughed at. Resurrecting someone from the dead wasn't exactly an easy sounding task. However, Rafiki sounded genuine. He sounded like he was willing to help, and that was what mattered. At length, Patch's tail started to wag. It sounded as if his idea was going to get off the ground after all!

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Patch yipped happily. He suddenly stopped himself a moment later when he remembered he had to be quiet and quickly lowered himself on to the ground again as if he were going to sneak. He had to be sneaky. The last thing he needed was for someone to hear and see him. "All right, now we just have to go to the graveyard. If I remember right, his body got taken back here after what happened. ...Which way is it?" Patch asked. It had been too long since he had last been in the graveyard. The last time he had been there was when Penny had died.

Rafiki tapped his finger to his chin and pointed off into the darkness. "Dat way. But first, I need de equipment to do it!"

He ran back into his tent and went over to the small chest the army had given him. He opened it and reached inside, retrieving a large roll of cloth tied in the middle to keep it from undoing itself.

The old shaman ran out of the tent, staff in one hand and the roll under his elbow. He pointed with his stick. "De way is dere. But de journey for you and de one you love has just begun!"

Patch wondered what exactly Rafiki meant by the last thing he had said. Shrugging it off, Patch simply nodded and began to run off in the direction Rafiki had indicated. He felt his fur bristle (though whether it was from anticipation or fear was hard to determine) as he ran and he had to shake his head a little to try and rid himself of the feeling. It would be worth it. It had to be worth it. Even if he was risking getting attacked just for trying to do this one thing, he felt it would be for the greater good to do this one deed.

Patch slowed his pace at length when he realized he had reached his destination. One thing that had given it away was the somber mood that seemed to fill the atmosphere. Brown eyes grew wide as he looked around the graveyard; it seemed to be filled with more grave markers than he remembered. Forgetting his mission for a beat, Patch stepped forward to inspect the new gravestones. He felt his stomach lurch a bit when he got closer to a couple of graves. Rebecca and Lucky. They... they were gone? Pepper, too? Had things really gotten that bad for his family when he left?

Stop thinking about it, Patch! You didn't come here to mourn your family. You came here to bring back Scamp. Patch reminded himself. He finally forced himself to back away from the graves of his family members and padded toward where he guessed Scamp would have been laid. Before long, he found what he was looking for. An uncomfortable chill went through his body and he shuddered a bit, almost as if he was uncertain of whether or not his being there was a good idea anymore, before turning his attention back to where he presumed Rafiki would be.

"This is it. This... is who I need to come back." Patch said. Was it even a good idea? What if Scamp decided to try and retaliate for what Patch had done the instant he was alive again? Patch stepped back a couple of paces as he tried to rid himself of that thought. He would be okay. He was just worrying over nothing.

All the while, the old mandrill followed, a from demeanor replacing his normal one. The spirits here were sad, lost, and hurt. Some did not know why they were there. Others were enraged that they could not yet leave. Either way, the whole place had the air of darkness.

Rafiki dropped the large roll and his staff, untying the string that held the cloth together. Soon, it unraveled to reveal all sorts of things. Bones, claws, teeth, and what seemed to be an empty mango full of hair. He carefully grabbed a necklace of claws and put it around his neck. Another string of teeth he adorned his head. He looked at the pup an put a small band of animal bones around his front paw. "Whatever you do, do not take this off. De consequences will be great."

A few other things was needed. He grabbed an empty coconut shell full of white powder and spilled it around the grave to form a circle. He took a few sticks nearby and surrounded the area with it, leaving himself and Patch in the small oval. With the powder around the grave, the wood around the area and the proper items needed, he would be ready to shake the Underworld or the Palace of Kings. Or maybe even grab a spirit from the air. WHo knew where the dead ended up?

He took out a large knife seemingly carved from bone and a belt made out of hyena hide. He inserted the blade into the belt. He took another small empty fruit shell and spilled some of the contents into his hand, which he spread onto his face, marking it to seem like a black skull. Soot. It was soot. He took some and made a line on Patch's forehead. He grabbed two more things. A flint and a large antelope skull. He placed it onto his head, the band of bones on it already just enhancing the view. He looked at the pup. "One question. Are you ready to watch your nightmares become real before your eyes and de world shatter in front of you? Are you ready to be deceived and tricked by de scavengers of de dead? Is it all worth it to reverse your wrong?"

Patch stared at the little band around his paw and cautiously lifted said appendage into the air to get a bitter look. It was an odd accessory to say the very last, but the instructions of not taking it off informed him enough to be wary of taking it off. He didn't want to cause anything terrible to happen. What followed was the familiar feeling of soot against his fur. Even though the period had been brief, Patch still recalled how he and his family had been made to look like Labradors with soot coating their fur. It wasn't too out of the question to say he was used to the feeling. Having grown accustomed to the dusty Outlands, Patch was at ease with the idea of anything dirty coating his fur.

Patch met Rafiki's gaze as he spoke and his eyes grew wide. He was going to have to watch nightmares become real? His world would shatter? That part he found hard to believe, as it seemed like his world had shattered at least once before when Penny had died, but still he didn't like that prospect. Patch didn't quite know how to respond. Was he truly prepared to see Scamp alive again? Was he prepared to have to face the consequences that might follow his attempting to make this happen? What would happen if Mooch and Vitani found out that he had even been involved in bringing Scamp back? At length, he pushed all of those thoughts aside. There was no going back.

"I'm ready."

Rafiki nodded and took the flint. He struck it, lighting the wood. Soon flames crackled to life, encircling them. No going back now.

He stood up straight and walked forward, striking the flint once more for the powered. Fire sprung up, but this was different. This was green flames. It burned brighter and higher than any other type of heat ever seen before. This was special, it was magic. Soon, ghostly apparitions started to burst from the flames. The old shaman started chanting, his eyes and his staff starting to glow with a golden light. He swung it, dispersing the spirit into air. It wasn't the one they were looking for, it was a hitchhiker.

ANother one burst from the green flame. This one a scavenger. It looked like what happened when a vulture dons a hood like a Grim Reaper. Chains swung from its talons and its eyes were made of fire. He pushed it away with its staff, back into the flames that produced it. "Watch out boy! De Underworld's barrier is broken and all sorts of tings are bleeding trough!"

Another spirit came forth. This one was smart. It dodged his blow and went flying for Patch, screeching. Thankfully, the charm did its work and it was repelled. Rafiki sent it back like the others. Then, another spirit came out of the green fire, this one different. It was Penny. SHe looked at Patch with sorrowful eyes. "I'm so disappointed in you."

She moved forward, while the shaman mandrill was occupied with a few scavengers. She floated in front of him. "Take off your charm, so we can be together."

The spirit was enticing the pup, trying to get him to come back with it through the void. All while the baboon was busy protecting his back.

(OOC- Not really Penny, just a trickster. Do what you see fit.)

As if the sudden burst of bright green flames wasn't enough to freak Patch out to some degree, the appearance of spirit after spirit certainly made him want to jump out of his skin. Patch had no idea he would be seeing any of what he happened to be witnessing. All he could do was stand there and hope to whatever powerful entities in the universe there were would keep him safe. He suddenly found himself snapped out of his thoughts, though, when a different spirit appeared. "P-Penny?" Patch asked. If that really was the ghost of his sister, he certainly couldn't doubt that she was right saying she was disappointed in him. She had every right to be, as he had given in to the fears of being alone and done something that he could only hope putting his trust in Rafiki would undo.

"Take off your charm, so we can be together."

Patch's eyes grew wide, and for a moment it looked as if he might listen to the spirit, but at length he lifted his paw with the charm around it and drew it in close to his body. "No! I still have to complete what I came here to do!" Patch barked. He wasn't going to blatantly disregard Rafiki's instructions. Even if he didn't know what would happen if he took the charm off, he didn't want to find out. Besides, he had messed up enough already without casting off instructions like that.

This can't be the real Penny... can it? Would she really want you to disregard instructions like that? Patch wondered. Penny might have been a bit bossy in life, but he doubted she would have wanted him to follow her into death. So he stood firm and refused to budge. If this spirit wanted to take him somewhere, it was going to have to deal with the fact that Patch wasn't going to let it happen easily.

Suddenly, ashes rained on 'Penny' and the spirit let out a loud howl. Quickly, it became one of the hooded ravens. It lunged in anger at Patch, but stopped. It looked down at its chest, Rafiki's staff impaled it. The spirit dissipated into the air. The baboon whirled around, chanting. The fires started to climb higher, yet not growing in length. The scavengers were coming in full force now, but the old shaman kept fighting during his chant.

Then, the earth around them started to crack. Fire burst from the crevices forming. Rafiki jumped over one, jus as it was about to shoot flame, and stood in front of patch his chanting starting to rise higher over the earth's fury. He whirled around. "Say his name boy! Say it!"

Just then, over the grave, a small ball of light appeared.

Patch felt himself quiver with fear when the spirit lunged at him and he quickly shut his eyes as if expecting certain doom. However, it never came. When he opened his eyes again he saw that the spirit had been impaled and witnessed it disappear into thin air. What followed unnerved Patch; he saw the ground cracking and fire bursting forth from beneath it. Unintentionally, he let a yelp of fear escape him. He almost wanted to bolt away, but he stopped himself just in time to hear Rafiki call to him. He had to... say Scamp's name? That was all? Well, that seemed rather easy. He would have thought he'd have to shed some of his own blood or something to complete the process. But he didn't voice his thoughts. He wanted to bring his rival back so that maybe he would have a chance at restoring the good that had once been between him and Angel.

Patch sucked in a deep breath of air and shut his eyes. He hesitated for a few moments, almost like he was waiting for something, before letting the breath escape him and throwing back his head to call up to the heavens. He silently hoped that it would work. For Angel's sake, and for his, he prayed that it would.

"SCAMP!"