Post by Kenren on Oct 30, 2017 23:49:35 GMT -5
It was incredibly unsettling, if one was honest, to leave the sobering light of day and move deep into the belly of the caverns. It wasn't natural, though it was laughable that she'd find such a problem with this after all of the things that had gone on of late. A few hundred feet into the meandering network of tunnels and already she was having to make her way by touch, because daylight would not reach. The damp sloshing of water filled her ears in the gloom. It wasn't the dark that scared her, though the helpless feeling that came with total darkness was unnerving. It was the inability for her to find her way or mark her progress. She might have been walking for half an hour or for two. There was no way to tell the passing of time, nor if she was taking forks in the path. It was completely disorienting, and inescapable. There was no room for panic or fluster. Now that she had started the trek, she had to keep a level head or take the chance of remaining lost until she inevitably died. She paused her movement, closing her eyes - it was pointless trying to see anyway. She took deep breaths, sifting through the foreign smells of mineral and damp rock and... other things. Bat guano was pungent, but they weren't the only creatures that lived here. Every once in awhile she'd hear a skittering or a splash, reminding her there were plenty of creatures that made their home in the blind deep. The longer she stood, the more her heart rate settled, and the more she could really feel. It wasn't some epiphany or great revelation, but she was calm enough to begin hearing the faint flutter of wings. Not above her, but from deeper into the tunnels. "Only for you, old woman," Ezra sighed without any actual heat, steeling herself before striking forward once more. The prize would be well worth the effort. She felt it when the tunnel opened up into a true cavern, both in the presence of the air around her and in the water that deepened as she moved forward. It seemed to bottom out just under her belly, shallow, but it was definitely going to make this a little harder. She tried not to flinch when she felt something flutter against her leg - she didn't care to imagine what a water-dweller would look like here. She could hear and smell the bats as they shifted, perhaps sensing something unusual in their home. Stirring them in the only way she knew how, Ezra leaned back her pale head and howled high and strong, echoing viciously in even her own ears. The room erupted with the flurry of bat wings, and in moments their squeaking voices and puffs of air from their flight were all around her. There was no rhyme or reason to this hunt - no way to expertly kill in the dark, against flying creatures. She could only try and be fast, to catch them off guard. It was hard not to be led by sound, as she'd never be fast enough if she was simply reacting. She snapped out into the open air, trying simply for luck, but her jaws snapped time and again on nothing at all. She snarled in frustration, whipping the bats into a frenzy of movement, and lashed out with her body rather than her mouth. She felt, for a moment, her paw brush a small furry body before it was gone again. Quickly, she tried again, jumping nearly completely out of the water and blissfully feeling a solid thump on her side. She twisted quickly, hurling herself back down into the shallow lake. Water unsettled in a splash around her. When she stood, dripping, she heard the sweetest sound - splashing, just to her right. She wasted no time in lunging forward, jaws connecting with the small, fragile back. Some pressure, and it was done - blood soaked over her tongue and jaw, rewarding her briefly for her efforts. Then it reminded her body of what she truly, sorely craved, and with a sigh around the furry creature, she turned - and stopped. A sense almost like vertigo came over her. Which way was back? Fear threatened to claw in her belly, but the logical side of her brain clamped harshly down on it. She'd only walked a few strides into the water, so the tunnel she wanted wouldn't be much further away than that. She picked the direction she though was right, and took careful deep breaths when she came in contact with a damp stone wall instead of open tunnel. She followed it to the side, hugging tight to it, and felt the knot in her chest loosen as the ground rose steeply upward to nearly dry again. She'd never felt so relieved to feel the close confines of the tunnel. Or, at least, what she hoped was the right tunnel. It was different going out than it was coming in. Before, she'd felt blind nearly from the outside. Now, as she went, she began picking up the slightest amounts of light. It could simply be her brain playing tricks on her, she thought at first, but it became evident that details were slowly making themselves known. She could see the outline of crystals glinting dully, and suddenly the animalistic fear was gone. She'd be angry at herself for it, if there had been anyone there to witness - but aside from Chaos' potential humor in the situation, there was no one the wiser. It was weak, that fear. If she never set foot in this godforsaken place again, it would be too soon. She slowly exited the last hundred feet of the cave, giving her eyes time to adjust to the daylight. When she finally stepped outside, at the entrance to the caverns, Ezra violently tore the wing from the bat. She ate the rest as her own reward, but picked up the wing to hide away until it was time. One more task remained. |
CODING BY TEMPEST.
