[PRP] Rousing a Dayterror (Kerras & Malice)

[blackbird cake]

You shouldn't be here.

 

[blackbird cake]

Twin moons hung high overhead at the peak of the night, illuminating the outside world. A faint trail leading from the thick trees of the Four Fronds forest curls along escalating cliffs, leading into a more mountainous terrain and introducing the mountains of Busthind. Beyond the path in a corner detouring off, there is an unusual crevice hidden behind some thicket.

Inside is the beginning of a narrow, rocky burrow, large enough to fit a young troll, but leading into darkness. After a few minutes of travel, it eventually opens up to what looks to be a much bigger tunnel, one that appears more refined with stone brick and vaulted ceilings. On the walls are dim, blue lights down each side, casting a chilling glow over the stone and dotting overgrowth. Multiple archways are scattered evenly on the opposite side. A warmer glow emits from beyond the stone arcs, though it is difficult to determine what it is past them. Out of the one closest to the emerging opening, however, there seems to be a mound of shimmery, lustrous objects overflowing into the passage.

In one direction, there are suddenly hasty footsteps growing near from around a bend, and in the other... the deep, rumbling snore of something... quite... large.

Green Minuet

 

[Green Minuet]

△ Kerras Farron

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.

blackbird cake

 

[blackbird cake]

Hands stuffed in her jacket pockets, a grouchy blueblood stalked down the massive halls of her mountain fortress. Her footsteps were bordering stomps, but Malice knew better than to make too much noise. The stone walls carried echoes like carrier pigeons to her sleeping lusus in a larger hall on the opposite end. Around the corner, a small, furry creature bounded across the empty hall, skittering between her legs and causing her to lose her balance. As Her brows furrowed.

"Damn it! How did that get in here?" Malice questioned to herself in a hushed voice, her face scrunched in disdain. She supposed it could have stuck into her lusus' entry, but nothing alive really bypassed him without a bloody mess. She turned the opposite way in pursuit of the hopbeast, until something else captured her attention. Turning her head slightly, her spongeclots picking up metallic clinking. Looking over her shoulder, Malice narrowed her eyes. A low rumble of reluctance erupted in her throat. Anything as small as a hopbeast could stir her bloodthirsty lusus from his slumber, something Malice tried very hard to prevent on a nightly basis, but anything poking in his treasure meant consequences. He was even more testy and difficult than herself.

Rolling her sleeves up, Malice crossed to the corner and turned around it, now down the other large corridor that lead directly to her lusus. On the left were the archways to her lusus' stash. Scanning as quickly as she could, she looked into each one, determined to find the source. As she turned in the third, her lookstubs met with another troll's. She blinked in momentary confusion. Then, her expression shifted to outrage.

"What are you doing in here?"

Green Minuet

 

[Green Minuet]

△ Kerras Farron

Despite all their caution, in Kerras' haste to hide they knocked aside a gold coin with the toe of their boot. The coin went clattering down the hall and rolled into a small pile of treasure with a melodic jingle. Shoulders hunched and frozen, Kerras winced at the sound. Their pump biscuit hammered in their throat as they listened to the echoes reverb through the caverns. Another earth quaking snore rattled the cave walls and underneath the rumble the heard the footsteps hurrying towards them.

In a panic, Kerras pulled up the hood of their cloak and searched for a place to hide. The smooth walls offered no refuge, and the treasure mound was still too far for them to reach in time. Maybe if they stood very still... Hands clasped in front of them, and hardly daring to breath, Kerras stiffened, and did their best to imitate a small bush.

The troll who came rounding the corner was not having any of it.

“A-a-a-ah!” Kerras stammered, distressed at both being discovered and the fierce look on the blueblood's face. Her near indigo blood colour did nothing to help their nerves. They slid one foot back, braced for flight. “Is this your hive?” they asked, forcing an attempt at affability.

blackbird cake

 

[blackbird cake]

"Is this your hive?" Malice mocked in a pitched voice, crossing her eyes and putting her hands up, waving. She shifted back to normal and gritted her teeth. "Of course this is my hive! Are you stupid? More importantly- What the hell? How did yo-" Malice froze mid-word.

The sound of scales and talons scraping along stone echoed down the champers with a low rumbling. Malice's eyes widened and she held her breath, the bloodpusher in her chest began to thump harder. There were large shadows approaching.

With hasty feet, Malice grabbed at the tealblood's arm and pulled them vigorously with her to behind the walls of the hall, between two of the arching entryways. She spun them around and pushed them against the stone and seemingly maneuvering herself around them as if blocking them from sight. He was awake.

"Sh!" Malice whispered harshly into their spongeclot, throwing a hand over their mouth. "If you want to live- stay quiet!" Looking down the hall form what she could see, her eyes narrowed but they flickered fright and an unusual sense of unease. The shadows grew closer and closer. The low rumbling became a booming grumble from the chest of a large, white and scaly dragonbeast. As malice kept a death grip on the tealblood, hand still firmly against their mouth, her lusus slowly dragged his claws along, passing by the wall they hid behind. A long, white tail whipped around through the archway, narrowly missing the two of them. After a moment, he was gone.

Green Minuet