It had been no less than fifteen minutes since the Grove Warden left. Nestled safely in a blackberry bush, Kerras braided some clovers into a wreath. They did not mind being alone so much, and in fact hummed quietly as they worked. The Grove Warden would often leave them for long periods when he needed to travel some place dangerous or unpleasant. But they were never really alone. They had all of the forest to keep them company: the trees, the flowers, the beetles, the ants, the birds... They might not have talked much, but one could say so much without words.
All of a sudden, Kerras heard the rustling of leaves. They immediately fell quiet, and crouched low in the bramble, listening. The rustling grew louder, as its source drew closer. A second later, a hopbeast pushed its nose through the leaves. Kerras did not move a muscle. They stared, eyes intense, as the hopbeast regarded them in turn.
Despite their stillness, something must have tipped the creature off (a whiff of their scent, or maybe the quickening of their pump biscuit), and it scurried back into the underbrush. Setting down their crown, Kerras wiggled after it. They crawled through on their belly, to avoid the sharp thorns of the bush, and to keep sight of their target. Accustomed to this sort of thing, they had no trouble keeping up.
Soon the pair had exited the bramble. The hopbeast took off at a full sprint down the forest path, and up a rocky slope. Kerras followed, cloak flapping behind them. They slowed somewhat when they reached the steep hillside, but pushed on in earnest. It was only as they pulled themself up and over a ledge that they thought maybe they should not wander too far. TreeFather would worry, and the forest was dangerous...
Only a little bit farther, they told themself.
Then they would turn back.Up and up the mountain they went, following the cotton tail of their quarry. By the time the hopbeast disappeared around a large boulder, they were out of breath and could see the forest line below. Feeling vulnerable out in the open, Kerras proceeded around the rock slowly. The crunch of gravel under their boots made their nerves dance with anticipation. As they cleared around to the other side however, they found no hopbeast or anything else waiting for them.
Defeated, Kerras let out a sigh. They would take that as a sign to go back. If they were quick, they could return before the Grove Warden noticed. As they turned to leave however, a crevice in the cliff face caught their eye. It had been well concealed behind a large thicket, but the play of the moonlight illuminated just enough to see through the shadows.
Their former plans all but forgotten, Kerras scampered into the burrow where their long-legged friend must have escaped into. It was darker than they expected, and it took a moment for their lookstubs to adjust. When they did, the troll could see that the cave extended deep into the mountainside, where in the distance it was lit by a faint blue glow. Intrigued but cautious, they padded quietly down the corridor.
Several hundred feet from the entrance, the narrow burrow opened up into a cavernous hall, carved by trollish machines. Kerras gazed up in wonder, running one hand along the wall for balance. They had never seen anything quite so overwhelming or magnificent. In this grand space, they felt akin to marchbug. There was something rather foreboding about it too... Perhaps it was how still the air was, and how quiet...
Almost as soon as they thought it, a deep snore broke the silence. Kerras shrank back. They could almost
feel the sound of it. Whatever creature slept down these dark halls must have been bigger than the Grove Warden. Wisely, Kerras decided to avoid taking that particular branch, and instead explore one from in which a sparkling mound of treasure drew their lookstubs. A set of foosteps only hastened their decision, and they scurried as quietly as they could into the passage to hide.
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