Call of the Wild
On this night the Dreamer comes slowly, a half-truth carried in his talons, with the rest left unspoken. We see the darkened woods of the Ikal Expanse, and the many treehouses that make up the village of Noct, high above the territory of great predators and mysterious beasts. While at this late hour most have begun the hunt, we go to a house still lit from within, candles standing like sentinels in the dark.
We see two feline Ysoki warriors, halfway through strapping armor and weapons to their bodies. Demon in the Dark, father to Flame in the Night and half-brother to Warmth in the Clouds, clips a beetle-shaped helmet around his chin, and continues speaking in the low tones of secrets kept.
Demon in the Dark: "I know, Echo. But no one else is strong enough. We can't leave it roaming."
Echo in the Night: "That doesn't mean we go alone. We have Turnip now — what will she do without us?" Demon nods, checking that the katana at his side slides from the scabbard smoothly, and looks towards the back of the house, where a low snore echoes down the hall. Demon in the Dark: "One day we will be gone, and she will have to learn to live without us. Alone, she is doomed in this. But as long as the villages stand, so will she." Echo responds with silence, picking over the daggers strapped to her chest and the associated wires, as well as the wooden bow strapped to her back. Demon steps in to help her poison her arrows, and only then does she speak. Echo in the Night: "We must be cautious then, no bravado. Let me wound it before you close the distance."
Demon in the Dark: "I agree. We must be wary of those black flames — they spread unnaturally."
Echo in the Night: "I have heard that it climbs, but I would prefer to stay in the trees. Keep it on the ground."
Demon in the Dark: "As long as its back is to me, I can avoid those horns." The last arrow made its way into Echo's quiver, and there was the sound of a gentle knock at the door. Demon crept across the wood floor to open it, careful not to make a sound, and let in a crouched elder, her ears drooped low with age. Silent thanks, and then the dream slides, as the two hunters slink into the surrounding woods. But with each step past the border of Noct, the dream cracks a little more, as if the lens were fracturing in slow motion. It arcs from corner to corner, leaving only vague impressions on screen... A bellowing roar shakes the vision, the shattered glass a beacon of blue-and-black flame. The hazy outline of a four-legged creature rushes into view, and then there is a tumble of light and sound. Arrows loosed, the swing of a sword through air, and the hiss as blood is spilled and flesh is boiled. Then the scraping of wood, and a futile cry of desperation, before the night echoes with screams.
Echo in the Night: "That doesn't mean we go alone. We have Turnip now — what will she do without us?" Demon nods, checking that the katana at his side slides from the scabbard smoothly, and looks towards the back of the house, where a low snore echoes down the hall. Demon in the Dark: "One day we will be gone, and she will have to learn to live without us. Alone, she is doomed in this. But as long as the villages stand, so will she." Echo responds with silence, picking over the daggers strapped to her chest and the associated wires, as well as the wooden bow strapped to her back. Demon steps in to help her poison her arrows, and only then does she speak. Echo in the Night: "We must be cautious then, no bravado. Let me wound it before you close the distance."
Demon in the Dark: "I agree. We must be wary of those black flames — they spread unnaturally."
Echo in the Night: "I have heard that it climbs, but I would prefer to stay in the trees. Keep it on the ground."
Demon in the Dark: "As long as its back is to me, I can avoid those horns." The last arrow made its way into Echo's quiver, and there was the sound of a gentle knock at the door. Demon crept across the wood floor to open it, careful not to make a sound, and let in a crouched elder, her ears drooped low with age. Silent thanks, and then the dream slides, as the two hunters slink into the surrounding woods. But with each step past the border of Noct, the dream cracks a little more, as if the lens were fracturing in slow motion. It arcs from corner to corner, leaving only vague impressions on screen... A bellowing roar shakes the vision, the shattered glass a beacon of blue-and-black flame. The hazy outline of a four-legged creature rushes into view, and then there is a tumble of light and sound. Arrows loosed, the swing of a sword through air, and the hiss as blood is spilled and flesh is boiled. Then the scraping of wood, and a futile cry of desperation, before the night echoes with screams.
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