Hi there all you awesome Fanfic readers! This is my first Underland fic, so stick with me here. I haven't read the series in over a year, I just started, then finished, the first book this morning.
It may take me a bit to put a prophecy in here because I'm not too poetic, but I may have one in mind, so once again, stick with me. Thanks!
*Abbess Aruba SkyArrow, Abbess and Recorder of Redwall Abbey. *
"Mom! Mom!" called a girl right around fourteen.
"What? What?" her mother, a stocky strait haired woman answered.
"Do you know where Fuzz-Butt went? I need to feed him," she said, referring to a kitten they had found several days back.
"Last I saw the heathen, he was playing with Trashcat,"
"Which was..?" the girl asked winding a lock of her curly brown-blond hair into a little ringlet.
"In the hall, by your room. While you're down that way, could you bring me the tissues? There's so much pollen in the air I've got a runny nose,"
"Sure thing, Mom," she said, walking down the hallway of their tiny house. She was pretty, not the most drop-dead-gorgeous girl there ever was, but she was attractive. Her curly brownish hair came down to her shoulders, it was very fuzzy at the bottem, but was more wavy at the top. A pair of silver hoop earrings hung in both earlobes. She wore a pair of long blue jeans, a black t-shirt with a silver fake gemstone crown on it, and a pair of white sneakers. Her eyes were, perhaps, the most stunning feature on her zitless face. Normal colors would look boring on her, no, blue, green, brown, they would never do, so what color were her eyes? A perfect shade of light rose. It had been one of the oddest eye colors of the year, she had been on the news a few times due to it.
She found the orange kitten in the hall, sleeping on a sock. "Oh, my little Cliff Hanger," she thought, reaching down for him. Cliff mewed as he was pulled from sleep and brought to the kitchen. A tiny bottle sat on the counter, white liquid filled it halfway. The girl sat in a wooden chair, settled the kitten in her lap, and gave him the bottle, holding it for the tiny tom kitten. When he was done, she set him on the floor, and rinsed out the bottle.
Since she was seven, they had lived in a tiny house in the outskirts of New York. Woodlands surrounded their house. Perfect for going out, and letting ones imagination run ramped. The house only had two bedrooms, and one bathroom. Her room was the size of a sardine can.
She walked down the hallway, and grabbed a sword-like object off the dryer, and buckled it, and its sheath, to her belt. Many weapons sat in her belt, a three inch Colt knife, complete with a black sheath, a leather sling she had made herself, and a throwing dagger. Also a bag made out of denim from a pair of jeans, and a small red bag made out of an old shirt were tied to the back. One had food she had made herself, and another had first-aid things in it.
"Hey Mom, I'm goin' out in the woods! I'll be back when ever, okay?" she said.
"Be back soon, I don't want you out in the dark too long. And don't go down to the old mine, I know you do, so don't! I love you Ayla" she said.
"Love you too Mom, don't worry, when have I ever gone down there?" Ayla teased, slipping on an old cloak she had made out of a lot of old shirts.
Once out of the house, she made a beeline for the mine. "Do you think she'll figure it out, Zeva?" Ayla asked a small lump in her cloak pocket. A black and white rat poked it's head out of the pocket, it twitched it's ears, and made a small huffing noise.
"Really, you think she'll find out that fast?" she asked.
Zeva ground her teeth a little, and twitched her whiskers once, and her ears twice.
"Well, then we'd better get a-rollin'" Ayla said, picking up the pace.
The moon was high and full by the time they reached the abandoned mine, casting shadows about the area as a lone figure walked up. Ayla had found the place years ago, and had fallen in love with it. She had built a small hut in the mouth, and went looking for gems and metals every day in it. When she reached the hut, she lit a small fire, and let Zeva out of her pocket. The young rat never wandered far, always staying near her person. After they had rested, Ayla loaded Zeva back in her pocket, then headed into the mine, flashlight in hand.
"How far do y'think we'll get ?" Ayla said, half to herself.
"Twice as much as half of it," Zeva answered through a sign language of twitching and gestures. Ayla laughed, this rat had the funniest sense of humor. After an hour, they reached the end of the mine, and Ayla was puzzling about it. "Shouldn't it be longer?" she thought, the peering at the wall in the gloomy light.
"Come on, lets get back to the hut, it's getting too cold out here," she said. Zeva bounded over to her, and climbed up her leg and into her pocket.
Ayla sat on a log bench, munching a loaf of garlic cheese bread she had made herself. Zeva ate a smaller version of the bread. She still was unhappy. "The mine is just too short," she thought, gnawing on a tough piece of bread. The sound of falling rocks caused her to look to the mine. What was that? She thought she saw a pair of eyes. "No, it can't be. There are no big predators up here⦠are there?"
"Hey, did you see that?"
"See what?" Zeva tilted her head, "I saw nothing, but I hear something," she said, "Look!" she said, giving a shrill scream of alarm. Ayla turned just in time to see a brown streak hurtling towards her.
"Run!" she yelled to Zeva, although the rat had already fled.
"The prophecy of The Moon?" Luxa asked.
"Yes. Though, it is more of a poem than a prophecy," Vikus said, stroking his silver beard.
"And you think there is another Warrior, that is an Overlander?"
"That is what I think, yes,"
"Where will we find this Overlander?" Luxa sounded doubtful.
"At the Moon Mine Gateway,"
"But that is seven days travel!"
"Yes, and we are going today, go and pack your clothes, and whatever you need, we leave shortly,"
"Yes, Vikus," Luxa nodded, then walked away.
"Mareth, send for Aurora, and Euripides, please," Vikus nodded to the one legged Underlander.
"As you say, Vikus," he said, walking off to find the fliers.
"This will be a long trip,"
In seven days time, Vikus and Luxa were almost at the gateway. The mineshaft had been discovered months before in an expedition to the surface. As they flew, Euripides and Aurora chattered back and forth in high pitched squeaks neither of the two humans could hear, Luxa and Vikus were silent, watching the unknown territory they flew through.
"Be that the gateway?" Luxa asked, looking at a hole in the side of the massive cavern.
"Yes, it is. I was sure we sealed it after it was found," the old man frowned at the narrow shaft of moonlight piercing the darkness. When they landed on a shelf of rock outside of the hole, Vikus explored the gap in the rock.
"Something or someone must have found and opened it, bu-" he was interrupted by a small sobbing noise outside of the hole. He looked to Luxa, the young girl shrugged. Slowley the two crept into the hole, and out into the moonlight. Three figures sat there. Two were rats, one dead, and a human. The sobbing came from the human, it was female, and very distressed.
"W-what was that? I would say it was a pack rat, b-but it's huge! Oh, God, it almost got me Zeva! A-and you! You're huge! What happened? I'm really confused now," the girl said, looking up at the rat.
"Be she the Warrior Overlander?" whispered Luxa, "She looks a bit weak,"
"So did Gregor. And look how he turned out," he said. The rat whirled, "Someone is here," it spoke. The girl flew into action, grabbing a dirk from her left hip with her right hand, she held it defensively, "Who goes there?" she said calmly.
"Greetings, Overlander, I am Vikus, and this is Luxa, soon to be queen," he said stepping into the light.
"Greetings, Overlander, I am Vikus, and this is Luxa, soon to be queen," an old man stepped into the moonlight, a young girl, about Ayla's age followed. Both were pale, she wasn't sure if it was the moonlight or what.
"Yeah, that's great. What do you want?" she asked, trying not to look like she had been attacked by a massive rat, though she couldn't help favoring her right leg.
"You are injured, you will not be able to make it home. I assume the rat was not large earlier?" he asked.
"What's it to you if I'm hurt? I have first aid with me,"
"It won't matter, the dead rat was clearly diseased, you will need our healers, also, there is a prophecy you need to fulfill," the girl, Luxa said.
"Riiight, I believe this is where I start backing away. Slowly," Ayla said, backing away, only to be stopped by a tail.
"Ayla, I think they're serious, I think we should go with them," Zeva said.
"But Mommy told me to never go with strangers!" Ayla said, but was rewarded with Zeva narrowing her eyes, "Oh, fine, I'll go!" she pouted, "But you're coming with me, Ms, NCIS," she said.
"Good. Luxa, do you think you can help, Ayla was it, onto one of the fliers?" Vikus asked.
"She will ride on Aurora, she is not strong enough to carry the rat," she confirmed.
Luxa helped Ayla into the hole and onto Aurora.
"She's beautiful," commented Ayla.
"Thank you, Overlander," the bat purred. Of coarse the bat talked. Ayla's leg throbbed as Zeva was helped onto Euripides, she had lost some blood, but she had killed the rat before any real damage could be done.
"How long will it take to get back to your city?" Ayla asked though she barley heard herself, her leg felt like it was on fire by now.
"Four days, perhaps three," he said, Luxa gave him a quizzical look, "It took us seven days to get here, how will it take us only four to return?" she asked.
"Could you not feel the drag of the currents? It was what made the trip so long, when we ride out, the currents will help us back, instead of holding us," he said. By now, Ayla couldn't even concentrate on words being spoken. Luxa looked over to her as they took to the air, then rummaged through a pack until she found a yellow glass bottle, she handed it to her, "Here, this will take away the pain," she said, "Take a small swallow," she instructed. Ayla nodded her thanks, when she was done, the made a face due to the bitterness of the medicine, then gave the bottle back. Vikus frowned at her. The medicine in the yellow bottle was for numbing, but it also induced sleep. A small swallow like that would keep her asleep for a few days. Luxa shrugged at him, and continued looking about the cavern.
Alrighty then! If you're reading this, then that means you made it through the first chapter! Hooray! I hope it wasn't too boring, I try to keep things interesting⦠Please Review, and tell me how you like this!
Next Chapter: Ayla learns more about the prophecy, and another Overlander shows up. She also finds her destiny, will she take up the mantle of a Warrior? Find out on the next installment of: Faces of the Moon.
