Secret Falls chupacabra, bigfoot or my imagination

Your Gift is: You hear a scream in the dead of night -- is it a coyote, or something else? || Late night, 20°F (-7°C)

The young girl had been tucked comfortably against a fallen tree. Sleep came easily after a long day of trailing after @Askan and @Reyes or dashing about on her own through the forest. Very little could wake the slumbering girl once she was out.

That was if the sound wasn't a horrific scream.

Orange eyes opened wide as she pushed herself to her paws. Her fur was already on edge as the scream faded out into silence. She had never heard a sound like that before. Hawthorne had heard other strange sounds back in the Notch but those were not as horrific as the one she just heard. Peppered ears pushed back against her crown as she peered around. She couldn't spot anyone around who might just be making some sort of joke.

Hawthorne find herself at a bit of a crossroad. She could be brave - or foolish - and go look for the source of the blood-curdling sound or she could risk luring the sound maker to her by calling for someone.

pls excuse the length, sachiel started to ramble <3

It had been a long time since Sachiel had come across orange foliage and, boy, was he ever happy. The trees north of the Vale were lush with emerald and copper hues, with only the occasional tangerine leaf mixed among them. Most of those were usually on the ground, where the tawny cub could easily kick them out of sight or tore them apart with his paws. Even though he was shrouded by trees the air felt different up here; his head did not ache and his chest did not feel heavy.

Some days he missed home. Not the pale trees with the ebony stripes, or onslaught of carrot-coloured leaves overhead. It was the company he missed—his family. He felt bad, guilty even, for not saying good-bye. The departure had been so sudden; unplanned. It was not until he was miles away that he realized the Vale was no longer his home.

Most days he wondered if he was missed. If his parents had noticed. His packmates. Castel would have noticed—she always caught him sneaking off.

A heavy sigh was unleashed from his small body at the thought, but his sullen thoughts were quickly wiped as a scream cut through the air. He stumbled, his mismatched gaze wide as he searched his surroundings for whatever had made the horrendous sound. A small whine escaped him as he took a hesitant step forward, his ears pressed flat against his skull, his legs trembling.

It had been foolish of him to wander around at night. Not because he was worried he would get lost—that was impossible. No, it was the fear of getting gobbled up by something dreadful that should have made the boy stay put. But his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He kept walking, slow and cautious, but changed his path away from the scream. He just hoped whatever had made the sound didn’t find him.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

As she contemplated her options, it sounded like something had made up their mind before her. She could have sworn the sound of leaves moving was getting louder. Her heart was beating brutally fast in her chest. What was she gonna do? What if it ate her? Then ate Askan? Or Reyes or literally anyone else who might be around.

Oh no. What if it already ate her friends and she was the only one left?

Hawthorne could feel her stomach tighten. She had to be brave - not only for her friends but herself. Her ears carefully raised back up and she tried to make herself look big. Hackles raised and tail uncertainly raising. She was ready, she could do this. "H-hey!" So much for sounding brave. "Come out here you, you...you big monster!" That was really all she could think of to say. How did she insult something she had never seen before?

Her head and neck evened out with her back as orange eyes squinted to see through the darkness. For a brief moment, Hawthorne realized what a terribly bad decision this was. A new fear was beginning to build up inside of her. The thought of possibly dying was not something she had ever been faced with before but here it was now.

”H-hey!”

He stopped, his eyes wide and his legs snapping together with such force that he nearly toppled over.

This was it. He was going to die. His short, boring life had come to an early demise because he was a big ol’ dummy and decided to go for a walk in the middle of the night!!!!

His chest heaved, his ears still flat against his crown as his mismatched gaze searched wildly through the darkness. Sure, the voice wasn’t threatening, but it was just a clever ruse. A feeble attempt to get Sachiel to lower his guard down and succumb to whatever creature was lurking in the dark. The creature that was going to gobble him up. Now he was really regretting not saying good-bye. What if he never saw his parents again? He didn’t have many friends, so that was okay, but still.

Oh no, oh no, ooooh no—

"Come out here you, you...you big monster!”

Wait. He wasn’t the monster No—this voice was the monster.

“Th-that’s you!!” He called out into the darkness, still frozen to the spot as he squinted into the direction that the voice had sounded from. “Don’t try ’n trick me, you creep!!”

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

They were confusing each other because Hawthorne fully believed that the voice that called out was the monster. "I'm not a creep!! You're the one who's screaming and creeping about!" She angrily shouted back into the talking darkness. How dare the monster try to call her a creep?! The voice also wasn't one she easily recognized and it was just solidifying her suspicions about everything so far.

"You better leave or...or.." She tried to think of a good threat. What would have Reyes said? He was big and maybe a lil scary with his pale eyes. What about Askan? He was built too! "I'll bite you!" Because she had to protect this place from the monster trying to eat her and her friends. Nevermind that she had no training in fighting beside pulling on tails or ears when wrestling with Elyan or Arwyn. But pulling on ears hurt! She remembered the way Arwyn had yapped when Hawthorne had grabbed ahold of one.

She stayed rooted to her spot, unwilling to get closer unless the monster did first. The young Riverflow wasn't going to fall for the screaming monster's trick. No way! She was smarter than the screamer and she'd prove it too!

How dare the monster accuse him of being the screamer. Sachiel didn’t even know if he was capable of emitting such a dreadful sound, for he could barely muster up a proper howl. His brows furrowed in frustration, a deep frown working its way onto his dark lips. “I wasn’t the one screamin’!” He called back to the other, his annoyance evident in his tone. “Stop tryin’ to trick me, you monster! You’re the one who’s screaming and creeping!”

Yes, argue with the monster Sachiel. Brilliant idea. The best one yet.

He glanced around once more, his shoulders relaxing as he planned out an escape route. The creature, demon, monster—WHATEVER!—was, fortunately, in the opposite direction. Which meant he could easily retrace his steps and return to where he had left Diego sleeping.

or… or.. I’ll bite you!

WHAt?!

“That sounds like something a creep-o monster would say!” The boy remained rooted to the spot, his knees bent and ready to bolt if the monster decided to attack. So far it was all talk, so it wasn’t a very smart monster.

Or maybe he wasn’t the smart one, as he was still shouting back at it. Teasing it.  

(This post was last modified: Oct 26, 2017, 02:05 AM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

up to you if she gets him or not!

"No!"

She furiously (attempted to) boom back towards the faceless voice as her tail gave a few momentary lashes behind h. As the monster kept talking she could feel herself growing frustrated with it. Ultimately she was coming to the conclusion that perhaps the monster wouldn't budge until she did. With adrenaline flowing through her veins she gave a heavy huff.

Hawthorne was going to take care of this monster. Without much of a warning, the young girl began to run forward. She was going to use all of her energy working up a high speed to run into the monster with. The young girl wasn't much of a force to be reckoned with - yet - but she didn't know that the monster was someone her own age and not a monster at all. All she knew was she had a lying, screaming, creeping monster to deal with.

In the dark, it was hard to see who exactly she was going to be trying to run into until she would be right there. Her friends would be so proud of her if the monster hadn't eaten them yet. She was defending all of them! By herself!

No!

Uh, okay?

His head tipped to the side, confusion settling in as knots began to twist in his stomach. Maybe it was time the boy take his leave. Before the monster decided to turn him into a midnight snack, or skin him alive, or whatever. Being murdered wasn’t on his to-do list, especially when he still had more to see in the lands of Lore. The venture north had barely itched his desire to explore.

However, the monster had other plans.

He wasn’t expecting an attack. Well, he was, because he had been harassing the screaming monster, but still. Sachiel did not expect the creature of the night to attack without warning. Didn’t most give some sort of warrior call, or blood-curdling scream? Anything?!

He could hear movement, but the night made the sound echo through the trees, and the boy was not able to locate where it was coming from. His legs trembled as fear took hold, rooting the boy to the spot.

Here lies Sachiel. He was okay. Hated the colour orange. Liked long walks in the forest.

The monster barrelled into him, knocking the tawny boy to the ground. A surprised squeal rolled off his tongue as he tumbled to the ground, his lanky legs sprawling across the cool dirt. His mismatched eyes blinked shut, his chin pressed to the ground as his ears folded against his skull. “Ok, ok, creep-o monster, if you’re gonna eat me do it fast please. I don’t wanna suffer.”

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

Hawthorne had to admit, she was not expecting the monster to squeak or fall over from her charge. She thought monsters were supposed to be big, scary and strong. The girl stumbled backward from the monster now seeing what the monster looked like. Except...this wasn't a monster. It was a boy.

If it had been a monster maaaaybe she would have eaten them. Of course, she couldn't eat someone like herself because yuck! That was wrong! Or at least it felt wrong. That was a question she'd save for a grown up later.

"I'm not gonna eat ya." She mumbled as her brows furrowed with frustration. Well, if he wasn't the monster than who was? Sure he could make an annoying squeal but it was no blood-curdling scream like the one earlier. Hawthorne would have laughed at the thought alone if the threat of a monster wasn't still present. "Come on, get up. You're not a monster." The young girl said with a soft defeated tone. Here she was thinking she had been being brave when really she had been caught in a mix-up.

Orange eyes scanned the area, wondering if the real screaming monster was out there. Now it would have two children to gobble up before going off to scream somewhere else.

I’m not gonna eat ya.

“Okay, cool.” A sigh escaped him as he peered at the monster stranger with his blue eye, his ears still folded neatly against his skull. The not-so monster was a greyscale cub who looked to be around his own age. Like the girl, Sachiel almost laughed. If neither of them were the monster it meant that it was still out there, watching them… waiting for the perfect moment to strike…

A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. There was two of them now… surely they stood a chance against the monster… right?

He clambered to his paws at her request, his mismatched gaze falling onto her silver frame. The next thing he noticed were her eyes, which caused his breath to hitch in his throat. No matter how far north he went, the boy still couldn’t escape the dreadful colour. Orange. It made his head pound and his thoughts jumble together, as though hundreds of bees were buzzing around inside his ears. The lanky Leigh quickly averted his gaze, allowing it to examine the shadowy trees surrounding them, his ears still low. “So if I’m not a monster, and you’re not a monster…” he hummed, speaking mostly to himself as he tried to remember where he had heard the scream originate from. “Who is it?”

(This post was last modified: Oct 27, 2017, 05:26 AM by Sachiel.)

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others