The Owlbear

Sometimes you go to the prey and sometimes the prey comes to you. An incautious or inexperienced predator will sometimes take on a beast they could not possibly hope to defeat. Krek sensed it long before it attacked, all he had to do was wait. He was the bait and the trap. And he didn't have to wait long. Krek was unsure what the creature was, but it had made a serious mistake. It was about two feet shorter than the troll, but much heavier. Its long, feathered arms ended in thick talons. Its head sported huge, red-rimmed eyes above a snapping beak like that of a a hooked horror. It certainly attacked him with all the ferocity of one. It slashed deeply into Krek's chest, talons ripping through ribs to brush against lung tissue, but that did not matter in the least. It tried to grasp him and pin his arms, but he was too fast for the beast. The troll grasped its head in his hands and twisted, snapping its neck like a twig. He stood over the fallen beast for a moment, relishing the rush of adrenaline that accompanied the battle and the kill. He recognized the creature now, from Spider-Eye's description. An owlbear. According to the beholder they were good eating. Krek knew that beholders were notorious for their poor sense of taste, but that didn't particularly matter to him. He himself could eat almost any type of meat regardless of taste. You took what you could find in The Abyss. The beast weighed at least a thousand pounds and would make a full meal for both Krek and his master.

The troll had taken down an owlbear. One of the largest, most dangerous predators in the forest, with his bare hands. Alya had never seen a troll in action, and she was impressed. His wounds healed even as the owlbear's body struck the ground. He lifted the massive predator with only minor difficulty, slung it over his shoulders, and teleported away.

Spider-Eye floated casually in his lair, reading. It was one of his most prized possessions, a nameless holy book, written by an ancient beholder prophet known only as The Mother's Eye. Her wisdom was incomprehensible to mortals, but he could understand the physical aspects of her glory, to a limited extent. Descriptions of her realm. Tales of her manifestations and actions, (the reasons for her actions were rarely known, but her actions themselves were the stuff of legend). It was said that The Mother's Eye had gone completely insane from the visions it received. Its mind simply could not contain the wisdom granted by The Great Mother.

Krek saw that his master was reading, the book floating near his anterior eye-stalks. His vision through the multifaceted central eye probably made it impossible to read with that particular eye. Krek imagined that the orb must view the world as if through a kaleidoscope. Spider-Eye was a voracious reader, and though he had little in the way of monetary treasure, he had a well-stocked library. Krek was smart enough to discreetly leave his master to his thoughts. He quietly left and began butchering the owlbear.

As he prepared the meat a question suddenly struck him. He was surprised that he had not thought of it sooner. Spider-Eye's lair was situated in the cliff face of a large valley, but what was above the cliffs? They had to lead somewhere. He decided to ask his master when he finished reading. Spider-Eye floated into the room, drawn by the scent of fresh meat. "You killed an owlbear?" He asked. He wasn't particularly surprised that the troll could take down such a beast. He hadn't eaten owlbear in months.

The troll looked up in surprise from his work. One of the advantages to being a beholder was that you did not have to worry about someone hearing your footsteps. He had not meant to 'sneak up' on the troll, such an act was potentially very dangerous. "Yes. I used myself as bait." He roughly pulled a thick, furry arm from its socket, "Master, may I ask you a question?" The orb nodded slightly, "Of course." "What lies above the cliffs? Surely there is something above us."

"Above us?" The beholder repeated. His eye-stalks turned upward, as if he could see through the stone. "Above us there is a vast forest filled with monstrous serpents and Yuan-Ti. It is a dangerous area to travel or hunt." Krek knew the Yuan-Ti by reputation only. He had overheard stories during his slavery to the drow. A race of serpent people who claimed to have once ruled the world, and who now wanted it back. Vicious, cunning fiends who were always vanquished in glorious combat by the drow telling the tale. He wondered how much was truth and how much was drow paranoia and braggadocio.

He figured he'd find out soon enough.

"You were watching him." Leafreader said softly. "And you were watching me?" Alya replied. "Of course we were." The elf did not try to hide the fact that The Circle had been keeping a protective eye on the young woman. "You haven't had much experience with males or evil. Krek may be handsome, but he is dangerous and cares only for his own desires." "How do you know that? We can't read his mind." Leafreader remained calm and patient, "That is true. But we know that he was born and raised in The Abyss. His clan worshiped Graz'zt, a demon lord who is well-known for both his beauty and his cruel lust. If he wants a female, he simply takes her. With or without her consent. Krek doesn't have the same standards as we do. He grew up among people who revered that monster and then lived among the drow for gods'-only-know how long. Even if he can actually care about you we have no idea how he would express it. Even sincere affections could be dangerous." He had a point. To a troll, a gentle caress might consist of raking the object of your affections with your claws. A simple nip at the neck could take her head off. She was allowing her hormones to overrule her common sense. It was natural to be attracted to someone. But it was foolish to ignore his personality and morals. Or lack of them. Still, she did not yet have enough information to fairly judge him. Was he a being of total evil, incapable of love or even friendship? Could he change? She wondered why she was so attracted to him. Was it purely physical? Mere animal attraction? She would have to examine her own motives as well as his. . .

To be continued. . .