[MEDIUM] Artistic Licence
Sorrel wasn't sure how long the stood there, waiting for some sign that they could move on, but he certainly remembered when the watcher finally revealed itself. The soft growl alone turned his blood cold, the tawny head pushing past the greenery and catching the light, paws large enough to cause some serious damage and spotted coat making it difficult, even now to fully comprehend its size due to the mottled lighting.
Unfortunately, the Leopard was definitely not friend, and All four pairs of ears flicked back at the sight of the giant cat. "Stay calm... we need to leave." Tyffyn whispered, tentatively taking a step back and relieved when the Leopard's attention didn't immediately shift to her.
A distraction.
That's what they needed.
Paige had mimicked Tyffyn's movement - a single step backwards with Cinder all but beneath her torso, fur bristling and growl rumbling a warning to the cat that was still so much larger than her. She flinched as the cats attention shifted to her, another menacing step forward that froze her to her spot in fear.
Neo was the furthest away, ears pinned as she watched the others. Slowly, as if she was trapped in a spell, she lifted a hoof, scraping at the ground twice with a harsh snort that had Screech immediately diving for the Leopard's face, emitting a sharp noise that was likely how he earned his name.
The Leopard's ears pinned and it hissed at the tiny bat diving towards it, gathering its legs underneath it before leaping upwards, attempting to bat the animal out of the sky and shut the noise up.
At the same time, tyffyn had yelled for them to run, aiming for an opening she had spotted not to far away.
Lark had realised what Screech was doing, and mimicked the bat, though her defiant crow wasn't nearly as ear splitting as the noise Neo's companion made.
Cinder was the only pet that didn't distract the Leopard, hearing Tyffyn's shout and instead nipping at Paige's legs, forcing her to turn and follow Tyffyn - her duty as partner to keep her courser safe at any cost.
It was Sorrel who took advantage of the situation, turning sharply so his rear was facing the beast as it lunged again for Lark this time, kicking out with his back legs and copping it square on its chest, yowling yelp indication enough if the physical sensation was missed.
It was enough to give them the head start they needed, Sorrel shouting for Lark to follow as he bolted after Neo, tyffyn and Paige, adrenaline giving him that extra boost of sure footedness so as not to stumble over the roots and ivy that decorated the once smooth floor.
There were no sounds of being followed, though there was a horrific yowling roar that indicated a very pissed off kitty yet only served to fuel the running coursers as they disappeared out of the cavern and down a tunnel, unprepared when it started to tilt downwards and only able to keep moving, gravity forcing their panicked run to continue where they may have otherwise stopped.
Finally, after they long would have ceased their gallop, the ground levelled, the room it opened into large enough for the coursers to cool down some, slowing their pace until they were once more able to focus on their surroundings.
The path down towards the cavern was far too steep to climb back up, though not quite so bad as the slime covered slide Sorrel and Tyffyn had experienced previously, beyond that, they were completely trapped, strange markings on the floor the only oddity in the room.
Neo bent down to inspect them, the weight of her body causing a mechanical noise to echo around the room, and the symbol she was on to become permanently indented into the ground. A switch?
At the noise, Paige had gasped, darting over to inspect Neo's symbol and snorting, before rushing to the other side to view the artwork from that angle, placing her hooves with a care that was contrary to her almost physical excitement.
Tyffyn and Sorrel, still tired from their previous encounter were not quite so animated, taking this time to rest a little while Neo and Paige moved around the floor haphazardly, neither one able to discern what the other two were actually doing until Paige finally let them on on her discovery.
"I know this place!"She explained, nudging Cinder towards a certain spot and tapping her hoof on the ground once so she would stay, before rushing over to another area and calling Tyffyn over. "Wait for me to say your name, and then press your hooves here." She instructed, before continuing.
"Fallow, one of our Pathfinders stumbled on it once. He's not a great artist, but he's amazing at puzzles. It'll reset if we're not quick enough -" Paige continued, a heavy click and another rumbling occurring right on cue as Neo's indented section popped back up again, causing the pastel coloured courser to snort, startled and needing a quick noise from Paige to stop her pushing it down again.
"Not until I say, Neo. This one too though, straight after" Paige added, pawing at another symbol softly and waiting for Neo's nod of understanding, her voice too cheerful to take much insult from it. "These three for you Sorrel. 1. 2. 3. But only when I say." She herded the courser towards the middle, tapping each symbol lightly and giving a curt nod when he acknowledged the orders, taking no note of the childish pout to his face at the fact it wasn't him ordering them around.
Finally, Paige had secured her own spot, just a little way away from where Cinder sat, watching the other three carefully and checking that they understood what she was about to ask.
Satisfied they did, she pressed the first symbol, all but squealing as it depressed, followed by the sound of an ancient mechanism turning below their feet.
"Cinder." Another click, more noise
"Sorrel. Tyffyn. Neo."
Click. Click. Click
Her again, then Sorrel, then Neo, and Sorrel once more, the rumbling continuing until finally, with a heavy thud, she depressed the last symbol, turning to face the dead end with ears pricked expectantly, the mechanism no longer whirring, the stone no longer rumbling.
A pause wasn't mentioned in Fallow's notes but surely She'd remembered the instructions correctly.
After an exhausting descent, your party reaches what seems to be a dead end. A seamless wall blocks your path, but walking across the engraved tiles before it produces the sound of an ancient unseen mechanism rumbling to life. Perhaps the artwork on the floor is the key...
Submitted By LordRah
for Campaign - Medium
Submitted: 13 hours ago ・
Last Updated: 13 hours ago