VOK Halloween Event - Prompts

[/nyx.]

Username: bmkmb
Link to pride or group: The Pride
Prompt level completion: Level 4
Prompt: [769/1000]

They had come in a literal storm of green fire, Dragon and Wyvern, and after clearing up what was more than just a little misunderstanding, they had turned their attention back on the creature. Fighting three against one was much less taxing than one on one; Lion refused to count the non-hostile alien as one of his assistants.

With a justified roar of rage, Wyvern ironically lands the final blow. He charges at his partial clone and sinks his fangs into its flesh; sadly, no blood leaks out from the corrupted thing. His victory would feel much more complete if only the life of his enemy could drip at his paws. Still somewhat frustrated at the Alpha's lack of faith, the Paladin thrusts the alien into a wall before whipping around and skulking back towards Dragon.

The other feline pays him no attention, not in a rude manner, but he is watching in disbelief as the creature shrinks, its voice growing even more distorted and higher pitched. The beginnings of a growl rumble in the back of Wyvern's throat. If it were possible for a lion to turn creatures into stone only by glaring at them in the eye, then the intruder would not have been quite as active even a more than a few moments ago.

The cavern is unbearably silent excluding the pathetic cries of the alien. Wyvern seems to be tense with loathing; Lion is wary of not only the celestial being, but his own Castellan. The Alpha halfheartedly wonders if he should ever dare summon the Paladins again; he has heard of Wyvern's thirst for revenge and wishes not to make himself a target.

Assumptions are a dangerous thing, he has learned this night. This is possibly the most trouble that the leader has found himself in for the last pawful of cycles. While Paladins do serve their leader, they are above the Alpha in terms of hierachy. Wyvern is a special case, for he also serves as a Castellan, who answers directly to the Alpha. Therefore, Wyvern can be both above and below him during different lengths of time, and whichever he is depends on the course that he chooses. But, he does and always will be of a higher position while dealing with unorthodox messes such these, and Lion is increasingly aware that he may have just antagonized an important possible ally.

Dragon is the only of the trio who is fully focused on his calling, which is not surprising when one realizes that he is the only one who has completed all his training, despite being the youngest of the males. He shows no emotion as the creatures screams threats at them, and he approaches it with an uncharacteristically blunt expression on his maw. "You. Stay," he commands it, much like someone might say to their pet.

Then, turning to his brother and the Alpha, he suggests with all the authority in the world, "Wyvern, why don't you try doing something about these vines?" A pause. Thinking, calculating. "Light of the Lion... try burning them."

There - he said it. By using the Alpha's imperial name, he had implied that he was of a higher rank, but he had also included that necessary respect. They are not equals, nor are they friends, and he had made sure to clarify that.

While Dragon held down the powerless creature, Wyvern heeds his brother's command and turned to the unnatural, vibrantly colored vines. Although the Castellan is a formidable opponent, his skill focuses on the mind, and these vines do not have that. He is left with slicing them using his teeth and claws, but only a fool would touch a mysterious object. He decides against damaging it in that manner, and turns to his growing affinity of wind to slice at the plant.

Lion stands at the opposite wall, breathing in and out while shooting bursts of flames from his maw. Whether or not it is damaging the vines, he does not know. The implications of Dragon's words have not been lost on him, and now, his mind is once again occupied with issues. It seems that each time he attempted to help, he always did more harm than good. War hero or not, this is always repeated. When he tries to host a ceremony, the parties have a skirmish, and when he himself stands to defend his land, he pays little attention and fails to strike down his actual enemy.

His claws catch on fire as his thoughts burn, and Dragon narrows his eyes at this. He decides against speaking up, however, for now.

[Runnersback]

Username: Runnersback
Link to pride or group: Realms of L’Oasis Lo
Prompt level completion:Level 5
Prompt: [1004/1000]
As Skarde regained breathe through simple shudders her eyes blinked open softly while she whiffed the singed scent of Ubbe. She gave a broken smile,“Forgive me,Ubbe... I- I didn’t mean to take it- this...” Skarde choked out as her body failed her leaving traces of purple fur and two tiny blots in its wake. Ubbe roared in horror, she had finally woken up but now she was gone and well he didn’t have any clue of which blot was which as they stayed put on the rubbles of the cave floor or even if Skarde’s spirit was still with them on this planet.

"No!" the second blot declares made of pure black fur, in an attempt to be menacing in its squeaky little voice it waves little tendrils in the air "No! You will not stop me! I have already rooted myself here!" as if for emphasis the blue roots around the cave floor pulses with energy as the second blot with soft shades of royal purple is caught up in the horrid blue roots, and the expedition team feel suddenly tired "It is too late! We can’t remove them." A male cried out.Well... the team can certainly try, can't they? "I will get strong again and create a form even MORE powerful! Just you wait! The menacing smile on its face suggests its up to something....

Ubbe’s face had turned into a menacing snarl as his body weakened he wasn’t going to accept this fate not without Skarde by his side. As Ivar watched in silence before he brushed around his friend trying to regroup him into the expedition team. Ubbe only saw red before he turned on them,“ Look me in my eyes... Tell me everything is not fine... We’ll never get free lamb to the alter... What are you going to do when there is ichor in the water!!!” He snarled cracking his claws into Ivar’s newly distressed face and launching him into the planet warped trees. Ubbe turned and bared his fangs at each lion holding their ground even King Ragnar. He hadn’t gone insane no... He was simply warning them that they better figure it out and fast...

As the lions all banded together inspecting the roots despite some falling back to wretch up their last meals by rocks. Yet it seemed that this was going to be the end and there was nothing they could do about it. Ubbe flicked the tears off his face as he watched the peaceful nature of the sleeping Skarde entangled in the roots. He turned to the king in all most a pleading manner,“We need axes, something that won’t destroy us. We’re weak enough as it is.” Ubbe’s voice said with a broken manner. Maybe he should have stayed put with the rest of the guards back home and sulked about not doing something evil. Maybe it was simply best that he never got a chance to bond with Uuk’oks turned Skarde. If she was two halves of a whole then there was no possible way for him to love her true self.

“We need to trap this creature and get him off our planet and as for the lioness, Skarde. She will just have to stay in the roots...”Ragnar commanded while tugging at his axe that he gripped fiercely into his fangs. Soon the massive lions were hacking at the rooted beast hissing when strange goos sprayed them in the face while the tiny beast worked harder to reroof itself deeper into their home planet. Left to right lions collapsed to their weakened ankles dropping the tools they had tarnished with goo.

Ragnar’s teeth gritted as he had dropped leaving Ivar as the last one hacking away before he stopped with a massive sneer tugging at his fuzzy muzzle.He spat the axe out of his mouth. “Planet eater, forgive me and my fellow pride mates for what we have done.” Maybe he could grovel his way to get this beast to leave especially since he smelled the evident distress of the expedition team. “We did not mean to upset in fact we did this to show our strength and loyalty to the mighty planet eater in front of us.” Ivar said before mumbling,“Woden save us...” The tiny beast was slowly morphing into the size of a sixth month old cub but the squeaky voice still mentally sent Ivar into orbit. It was hard to take this creature seriously but he must especially for the sake of his best- best friend.... Now Ivar was truly warped as he would never call anyone in his lifetime his friend, ally, and such.

“Oh, stop your groveling you fool!” The beast squeaked out as the roots had grown back two fold. “Get out of my sight, your useless to me!” He squeaked manically as he flicked his tail back and forth with aggression. Luckily the bigger lion did so by tugging the other lions back to the banks so they could gain a moment to regain any and all strength they had lost from chopping at the abrasive roots. As Ivar huffed and puffed sitting between Ubbe and Ragnar. He simply shook his head this was absolute insanity, maybe those mushrooms he had found and devoured was toxic? But from the looks of it he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of these two monsters or he was just simply insecure.

Thankfully the other lions were healthy as the beast was napping. So he nodded to the others as they tied the creature up for good and started encircling him with massive boulders as they did their best to cut off contact with the tiny blob named Skarde. They swiftly chopped away at the roots and watched the tiny mewling alien cub rumble out. Ubbe softly picked her up to move her away from the heavy rocks being rolled but they managed to stack them up high enough so he wouldn’t escape. Poor Skarde once again had to be placed on the back flame....

[QueenOfWyrms]

Username: QueenOfWyrms
Link to pride or group: PoB
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:



Between Akkadia's flames and Cinnabar's newly shown ability to attack the monster in kind, they were able to hold it off. both of them took plenty of blows however, as despite them being two against it's one it was clearly more skilled them they were. Eventually the two of them managed to overwhelm it simply by exhaustion, and their attacker backed away. Before their very eyes the monster shrunk, excess mass evaporating until it was smaller even than Cinnabar's small form.
It hissed, shrill and loud like a warning call. "No!" It cried, it's voice much higher in its miniature body. "No! You cannot stop me now! Not here! It has already begun! I have already rooted into this planet's very life force!" In time with its words, the red center of the roots which formed the chamber pulsed vibrantly, its hungry tempo increasing rapidly. It cackled, an awful sound in combination with its no longer intimidating body. It wriggled its tendrils in an attempt to accentuate its threat, though it was hard to identify it as the threatening party any longer. The roots themselves appeared to grow, bit by small bit. with it new growth, they echoed the red pulse from which they branched off, and Akkadia and Cinnabar felt more tired than they had before, almost seeming connected to the pulse. Akkadia brushed it off as weariness from the battle.
"It is too late! You cannot remove them! I will devour all life on this planet!" It cried out once more, arrogance and certainty flowing greatly in its words.
Akkadia winced against her growing exhaustion but made her way over to the roots, which seemed to be some kind of problem. She tried to pull on a smaller one with the strength of her wyvern legs, attempting to pull it out of it's hold on the dirt and stone. "Well, you can certainly try!" shrieked the void-looking monster with another hateful cackle. Akkadia pulled against the root, but it held firm and she felt as though her strength had been sapped. She breathed heavily at the effort, huffing as she stepped back.
"Restrain that... thing." She commanded Cinnabar, used to working with her subjects. Cinnabar, respecting her demands out of the urgency of the situation, gripped their miniature enemy with his still-black limbs. He felt its skin attempt to tear, rip, and burn him as it fought his hold. If it weren't for his own destructive form he would have fallen off in pain, as it was he was able to continuously regenerate against the wounds that were inflicted on him.
This only increased its fury. "I will become stronger! I will grow as strong- stronger even than i was before! I will make a form for myself even more powerful than you can imagine! Just you wait!" Even as its angered cries seemed doubtful, and almost pitiful, it grinned in a discomfiting way that caused its words to stick in its two listeners minds. The grin was not the feverish smile of one who knew he was losing... it was more akin to a madman waiting for his victims to discover the true horror he had designed for them.
Akkadia tried to distract herself from its foreboding statements, throwing them out of her thoughts as she returned to the ever more infuriating puzzle at hand. She knew that pulling the roots again would be fruitless, and she hadn't hardly the strength left to do so. She wracked her mind for a solution, growling at her lack of ideas. Without other recourse, she thought back to the fight earlier. Had the monster given any possible clues as to what might uproot its...project.
Of course. Akkadia berated herself quietly at her own lapse of intelligence. What better solution for what appeared like wood than to burn it.

[638 words]

[Nia The Elf]

Username: Nia The Elf
Link to pride or group: Red Eagle
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:
Here

[Frisco]

Username: Frisco
Link to pride or group: Night Watch
Prompt level completion: 3
Prompt: [500 words]

Together, the four of them stood on the edge of the cliff. Three lions and an alien in it’s misshaped form of a feline body and an outworldly head and some tentacles still sprouting from its back. Underneath them, on the stone floor sat a little creature. It was black and furry with long ears and bright red eyes. It could easily be confused with the original shape of their new companion, but the aura it emanated was completely different. Despite it’s tiny size it was menacing and ominous. The tendrils growing from it’s body were slashing the air with anger. IT spoke to them and it’s voice was low and clear. It spoke their language perfectly, making them feel that the enemy was much smarter and much more powerful than the creature they saw emerge from the meteorite mere hours ago. It wasn’t enough to scare them, but fear rooted it’s place in their bodies anyway. They did now know what kind of power the alien possessed, but it was doing something awful to their land. Large dark roots that grew over the walls of the cavern started emanating a light blue glow resembling lightning, just like the one they saw on the sky the previous night. As the light spread higher and higher across the trees, they could feel unease and weakness consuming their bodies. Whatever was happening, it was bad. For them and for their whole world. They had to put an end to it and they would have to do it fast, otherwise, everything would be lost.

Immediately as the effect took place, Shadow activated the remaining magic runes on his body. The first one granted him speed, the next ones strength and better vision. All his senses were enhanced. Small bat-like wings sprouted from his shoulders. He gave a sign to their alien companion and it understood. It changed it’s form to form runes exactly like the ones on Shadow’s body, except their glowed with blue light, while Shadow’s glowed red.

- Me and the alien will take down this “Hider”. You two, try to stop the spreading.

His voice lacked confidence.

- How can we do that? - Ejszaka for the first time looked a little distressed. The weakening effect seemed to have taken a larger toll on her body than any of the others/

They all looked around the cave, as if hoping the stone walls would give them an answer. Then they turned to the imposter. It looked concerned, but thinking hard.

- I… Energy. D’grnak. I try stop. Hider powerful. Kh’shhsh. You fight.

From those few words they did not understand what it meant. Even if it did speak their language perfectly it might not have been able to rely exactly how it was going to try and stop the contamination. But they did understand it’s intentions. It was going to use it’s own power against the enemy to try and slow it down. It was up to them to defeat and stop it completely.

[Meekins12345]

Username: Meekins12345
Link to pride or group: The Pride of Wikimak
Prompt level completion: 5
Prompt:

The fight was long and drawn out. Eventually it was just Chayton and the Uuk'oks fighting against each other, the little, smaller lion ultimately just hiding amidst the various root systems that lined the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cave-like expanse.

The fight felt like it went on for hours. Chayton already had gashes and cuts about his body, thanks to this creature, this Uuk'oks. His face had claw marks around his forehead and cheeks and his nose had been cut open and was bleeding freely. His sides also had long gashes from those vine-like things that appeared from the Uuk'oks sides and fur. They felt like a whip across his back and his sides, and when they wrapped around his legs they only hurt more. It was an unfair fight but Chayton had the energy to take on this thing. He wasn't about to just let it come here and take away everything he held dear. He wasn't going to let the Pride of Wikimak go down without a fight. He wasn't going to let a situation similar to what they had just gone through, with the silverpelts, happen again.

So he fought. And fought and fought until both he and his opponent were drained of most strength. Chayton heaved air into his chest as his arms and legs quacked with exhaustion, his bloody red gaze narrowing upon his enemy as it, too, fell to the ground... and it's lion-like looks began to fade or fall apart. Parts of fur were scattered about, on the ground below.

"What? No!" The Uuk'oks squeaked, and Chayton couldn't help but suppress a chuckle, hearing the smaller voice that it now had, apposed to it's much deeper, more intimidating voice it had held before the fight. It sounded like what the squirrels and the chipmunks sounded like; harmless and baby-like in nature.

He watched as the Uuk'oks swiveled its head tiredly, yet quickly, toward him, a glare upon it's own melting features as it's tendrils wiggled up to the ceiling of the cavern.

"No! Don't you think that you will stop me! My work is not over yet!" It squealed and squeaked. "I have already rooted myself here, it is too late!"

Almost like it was on queue, Chayton caught sight of the roots and watched as they pulsed with an energy that he had never felt before, and within seconds he felt himself growing more tired than he had been before. A soft growl escaped his maw then. No, things couldn't possibly end like this, not when he had gotten so far! He gritted his teeth before he felt his legs give way, he soon just collapsing onto the ground with a soft grunt.

The Uuk'oks only chuckled, which ultimately turned into a menacing and enthusiastic laugh.

"Yes! I will get strong again and create a form even MORE powerful! Just you wait! Hehehe.... hahahaha!" It wriggled and wreathed about on the floor, as if happy with it's own thoughts, as it laughed and laughed.

Chayton only forced his head up, soon looking to the roots as they continued to pulse with the energy of, what he assumed was, the earth. He had to get them to stop somehow... someway, but how? He was so tired... It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open. All he wanted to do was lay on the ground and sleep... but he couldn't. He wouldn't!

He growled loudly as he struggled to get his paws under his body, he soon just pulling himself back onto his paws. The pain from the earlier fight resonated through his paws and up his arms and legs, causing him to groan before he forced his paws onward... well, it was more like dragging them at this point, but he wasn't about to back down now.

And, thankfully, that was enough to encourage their little, unnamed guest to come out from it's hiding place and quickly run up to Chayton, soon nudging his paws onward as if trying to help in some way... Although the dark male soon looked down and motioned toward their now harmless little Uuk'oks.

"Go... and wreak your revenge. I'll... I'll see what I can... can do."

The little guest looked up to him, four red eyes blinking a moment before looking over to the Uuk'oks, eyes now hard set as it glared upon the thing. With a loud and high-pitched squeak, it ran over toward the Uuk'oks as it lay limply upon the ground.

"What? No! Leave me alone, you stupid little four-eyed creep!" The Uuk'oks growled, only to be squished under the small lion-like creature's tiny paws.

"Bad! Uuk'oks bad!" It growled, soon just beginning to jump upon the limp creature's body. While it appeared like it wanted to fight back, it was still too weak to continue doing so, and those tendrils just continued to wiggle weakly as it grunted at the creature's attempts at attacking.

Chayton could only chuckle at that, watching for only a few moments before moving to the closest root. Thankfully it hadn't been too far away, but he was growing more and more exhausted by the minute. Nevertheless he got right up against the root and began to assess the thing. It looked like a tree root, but... just blue, like the sky. How was he supposed to try and get this thing out of the ground? Or, more likely, how was he going to get this thing apart?

He knew how trees worked. Enough scratches and chews and there'd be an open wound within the wood. Leave it to the elements and it would die, but that was a slow death and he couldn't wait that long. Unfortunately, though, that was his only option right now. He had nothing to help him get through these things besides his claws and his teeth.

So, without much more thought, he'd begin to claw and gnaw upon the root closest as it drew energy from the earth.

Hopefully, this would work... somehow. (1,005 wc)

[Chanceuxcat]

Username: Chanceuxcat
Link to pride or group: Veren's Pride
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:

[Sunlitsecrets]

Username: Sunlitsecrets
Link to pride or group: Starheart's Regiment
Prompt level completion: level 5
Prompt:

[Kitten-Girl-500]

Username: Kitten-Girl-500
Link to pride or group: Summitfall Pride
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:

The fight is a rough one, and the alien visitor to your lion's world does a number on a few of its attackers before it finally seems defeated, falling to the floor its 'lion' body slowly falls apart around it, leaving behind a small blot of fur on the ground. "No!" it declares, in an attempt to be menacing in its squeaky little voice it waves little tendrils in the air "No! You will not stop me! I have already rooted myself here!" as if for emphasis the blue roots around the cave pulses with energy, and your lions feel suddenly tired "It is too late! You cannot remove them." Well...your lions can certainly try, can't they? "I will get strong again and create a form even MORE powerful! Just you wait!" The menacing smile on its face suggests its up to something....

What do your lions do with the for-now-(apparently) harmless "eater of planets"? How do they trap it while they deal with its corruption in their territory? How do they approach trying to remove the roots draining life from the world around it?

Ara crouched beside the cavern wall, his small frame trembling. Dyani hunched beside him, pressing into his side. "What do you think will happen?" she whispered as they watched Noelle and Xeno battle the larger alien. "What if that thing wins? Will we all die?"

"I'll protect you," Ara vowed, standing up straighter. He could do this. He could help. He just had to be brave, like his daddy Gringolet always said. He could hear his father's voice now, urging him to join the fight and make a difference. He unsheathed his thorn-sharp claws and bared his fangs, ready to pounce on one of Uuk'oks' forepaws. Maybe biting one of its paws would be a helpful contribution.

But before he could even take a step forward, Uuk'oks slammed into Noelle, knocking her backward and into the wall. Dyani shrieked and scrambled out of the way, barely avoiding being squished underneath the half-snow-leopard-lion.

Xeno staggered to his paws. His pelt was scraped and matted, and his shoulder was bleeding, but that didn't seem to slow the alien down. He leaped for Uuk'oks with a cry of vengeance and fury, striking the larger alien's back with a forepaw.

To Ara's surprise, Uuk'oks slumped to the ground. Xeno staggered back as the larger alien's slowly crumbled, revealing a tiny, black lump of fur on the ground. It had four stubby little legs and a plethora of little whips. It even had small armor fitted to its teeny body, like it had had in its larger form. Ara snorted. It was barely the size of a grown lion's paw.

"No!" It stamped one tiny paw on the ground, waving its small tentacles in the air and baring its little fangs. "No! You will not stop me! I have already rooted myself here!" As if agreeing with the small menace, the roots gave an especially large pulse. Ara felt a strange sensation overtake him, like the energy was being drained out of his reserves. He fought to stay strong and face the small creature, bracing himself against the drain.

He stumbled over toward one of the roots and began tugging at it with his teeth and claws. Maybe if he could break these roots off, he could stop Uuk'oks from destroying this realm. And if he was able to do that... Ara could already hear the shouts and praises, everyone cheering his name as he swaggered back into Summitfall. He'd be the savior of the world, given gifts and tokens of admiration. Yang would make Ara heir to Ikaika's throne, and Ara would rule with Dyani by his side--

Wait a minute. Where had that thought come from?

But no matter how hard he grappled with the roots, they were buried too deep into the earth for him to dislodge. Even scratching and clawing at them did nothing; they were covered with a sheath of tough material, like Uuk'oks' armor.

The now-tiny Uuk'oks let out a triumphant squeal. "I will get strong again and create a form even more powerful! Just you wait!" It turned and scampered toward the tunnel, beelining for the exit.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Dyani leaped on top of the little alien before it could run past, securing it under her. Its angry squeaks were muffled by her belly fur, and she turned to look at Noelle and Xeno. "What do we do with it?"

She turned to look at Ara, who was furious on the inside. Was Dyani trying to steal his glory? Already the cheers and screams were fading from his ears, and he shot her a glowering look. There was no way they could ever be friends now. It had seemed bleak up until then, but now he shoved that possibility in the trash can and stomped on the lid.

Xeno flicked his ears, coming toward Dyani. "Lock down," he said. "Keep trapped."

Noelle turned her head to look at Ara. "Could you run to Ikaika? Tell Coho we need a reinforced cage, and it's an emergency." The urgency in her tone suggested that Ara shouldn't point out the fact that he wasn't the fastest runner in the cave (that role was occupied by Dyani, unfortunately).

The images of his triumphant return flickered back into view. "Of course." Ara quickly ran past Dyani, paws pounding against stone. He could not fail. He would not fail. The cave turned to savannah, which turned to jungle. His paws ached, and his chest heaved, but he found the strength to keep going. Everyone was counting on him to return with something to contain Uuk'oks. Ara gritted his teeth. That horrible little alien was responsible for everything: draining life from the savannah, severely wounding Noelle, and dragging him and Cepheus into this whole mess.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ara stumbled into Ikaika, gasping for breath. Somehow he was able to turn his shaking paws toward the armory, where he could hear the clang of hammer against metal.

His vision blurred, and he collapsed in the entrance of the armory. "Coho... reinforced... keep trapped..." he panted, before his eyes slipped shut.

-=+=-

Ara's eyes shot open. He struggled to hold onto Coho's back, digging his claws into the lion's mane. "Where am I?" He saw savannah around them as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light.

"I was able to piece together that you needed a reinforced cage--"

"How?!" Ara interrupted. He remembered only saying a little, and those few words had been slurred with exhaustion.

"I'm a bit of a genius at figuring out random phrases. Just ask my wife." Coho's words were muffled, as though he was holding the very cage in his mouth and talking around it. "But anyway, I figured that you'd run to Ikaika from somewhere out here, given how exhausted you were."

He slowed as they neared the asteroid crash site. "Where from here?"

Ara hopped down and led the older lion across the savannah, toward the mouth of the cave. A few minutes later, they entered the cavern.

Uuk'oks threw a fit as it was shoved into its new home, which was covered in a heavy cloth tarp.

"Ha! And stay there, you little creep!" Ara shouted.

[1009 words]

[AwkwardAnxiety]

Username: AwkwardAnxiety
Link to pride or group: Spirit's Dawning
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:
Ignis’ paw hovered in the air for several moments, bravery struggling with the indecision inside him. He wondered if he could even do this, after all, he couldn’t last time. In his mind, his father and the Uuk’oks had become one in this moment.
Then he remembered his daughter and the stranger were here and in danger. Uuk’oks was not his father, only a mimic taking advantage of his face. Uuk’oks had hurt his daughter. With a defiant cry, he brought his claws down in a swift strike, to Uuk’oks exposed throat.
Uuk’oks took what should have been a fatal blow like a slap to the face, Ignis’ claws slicing through but no physical injury was left behind. It laughed then began shrieking, letting out a cry of pain and anger as the fight began to take it’s toll.
It began to shake and shed heavily, like a snake shedding it’s old skin, pieces falling to the ground and revealing a tiny furry pipsqueak of a creature in it’s place. It was nowhere near as threatening as before and easily pinned as Ignis toon time to process. Striga, watching, let out a relieved breath and nearly laughed at the indignant creature.
Ignis stepped back, taking a deep breath and trying to hide his shaking limbs. Even though that wasn’t actually his father, it was just as emotionally draining, or more so, as the last time they fought.
Flashbacks threatening to take his mind and he shoved them back to deal with later.
“No!” Uuk’oks screamed in a pitiful attempt to be menacing, writhing like an angry cub.
“No! You will not stop me! I have already rooted myself here!” As it spoke, the roots pulsed a bright blue, filling the whole room with light, and Ignis and Striga began to feel tired, like the roots were drawing energy from them.
“It’s too late! You can not remove them.” The Uuk’oks continues, puffing out it’s small furry chest proudly, although the act was lost on it’s disinterested and only mildly terrified audience.
Ignis and Striga ignored Uuk’oks, who was no longer a threat at it’s current size, and stared at the roots.
Striga checked on Phönix again, making sure he was still alive and not in any grave danger. She could feel his pulse thudding at a decent pace through his wrist and turned to deal with the roots.
While Striga was still worried about the unconscious Umbra, she couldn’t do anything for him and the roots were a larger danger. They couldn’t risk Uuk’oks regaining strength while they were only losing theirs.
Ignis set straight to work, gnawing and clawing at the huge roots, tough as those of a tree. His muscles bulged and strained with his effort and he let out a low groan.
Striga quickly checked that Uuk’oks wasn’t going anywhere, pushing him to the wall and surrounding him with rocks. He screamed like a cub as she penned him in but she ignored and began to help her father with the roots, both of their muscles screaming in the pain of the effort.
Gnawing and clawing seemed to have little to no impact on the roots, even after several minutes of the activity, the roots seemed as strong as the hardiest tree. If it was at all possible to cut them, they would need many more lions than the two of them.
Ignis and Striga stepped away and tried to survey the area around them. They whispered to each other in deliberation, occasionally looking towards one spot or another.
They debated going back for other lions but decided that leaving the two foreigners alone and able to flee or fight each other was a bad idea. Especially since the others may not believe them or decide that it’s too dangerous at this point.
They thought about interrogating Uuk’oks, but figured from his actions that he was too proud to cave in to questioning easily and torture was not something they wanted to delve into. One of the laws of their pride was to avoid sullying your claws with the blood of a lion if at all possible and as a sentient, Uuk’oks counted. Besides, he already said he believed the root impossible to remove.
More ideas came and were turned down for their flaws. The two were losing time, energy, and morale the longer this went on.
Finally, one came up that was plausible. Striga recalled that trees needed to remained rooted inside the ground to live. If they could separate them from the ground or get down to their thinner parts, they might be able to get rid of them. It was similar to their previous plan, but coming from another direction.
Ignis agreed this was probably their best course of action
They nodded at each other and headed towards different spots inside the cave.
They walked up to the ends of roots where they went into the ground and began digging.
Dirt flew wildly as they dug, exposing the deeper roots to the air and loosening them. It matted their fur and muffled irritated noises from their captive when clods hit it.
They worked on this for quite some time, making a lot of progress and moving on to the next root if one area of dirt got too hard, not wanting to waste their energy that they continued to lose at each pulse. Finally, they got all of the roots down to the thinnest, weakest parts and some were completely separated from the ground at one or both ends.
They met eyes uncertainly and then nodding, encouraging each other. Neither of them knew what would happen next, but they had to do something. Time slowed at the turned back to the roots. Then they each took hold of a root and bit down as hard as their jaws could. Time seemed to stop, or even go backwards. Their jaws screamed and their teeth felt like the would crack. They weren’t sure time had passed at all.
[1,002]