Blood warning!
In the farthest corner of the Star Kingdom, laid a land shrouded in shadow. A swamp here. A plain there. All of it empty and silent, save for a few creatures that would go hunting for whatever scraps of food they could find. Plants dried out. Twisted trees dotting the land. Briars showed their cruel thorns to the world. Dark clouds remained a constant vigil in the sky. It was known to all as The Hollow Realm.
A roar echoed several parts of the realm. A ripple then multiple portals appeared. Pooh, Honey Maple and Whirlwind flew out of a portal that led them to a hill. They rolled and tumbled out like barrels. They continued in that state until Whirlwind crashed into some briar which bordered a swamp. Pooh and Honey Maple going into his soft belly. The portal faltered. Then vanished. Leaving the trio completely alone.
Pooh groaned and rubbed his head. His vision swam for a bit so he had to blink his eyes until it stopped. He got up slowly. He tested his feet to make sure he didn't break anything. Then, looked at Honey Maple. "Honey Maple!" He leaned over. He careful touched her. She was breathing but it looked as though she might have hit her head when they were rolling down. Blood glistened on his paw. "Oh! Think! Think! Think!" He closed his eyes, trying to remember what Christopher Robin had said when someone was like this. "I've got to get help!" He looked around. The hill and the briar he could only see at the moment. "Rabbit? Piglet? Eeyore! Tigger! Kanga! Roo! Lump-" His words were cut off by a set of eagle talons clamped over his mouth.
"Shh!" Whirlwind hissed. The chimera quickly glanced around before focusing on Pooh again. "Listen. You are in the Hollow Realm now. Surrounded by us, Chimeras, and other creatures that make me look cute." He blushed at that. "They'll do just about anything to get you. So keep quiet if you don't want to be torn apart, got it?" He let go when Pooh nodded.
Pooh gulped. He looked up at Whirlwind. He noticed that the chimera was nervously shaking hard. "W-where is everyone? Are they going to be ok?"
"That depends."
-(Piglet, Muck Ravine)-
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Piglet screamed. The small and frightful animal was trying his very best to outrun a large herd of Nightmares. The black horses charged after him. Their fire manes bright with fury. They looked like a traveling inferno. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you mad!" His lungs and feet hurt after running ever since he popped out of one of the portals. Who could this happen? Piglet thought. I thought portals only go one way!
He remembered tumbling in the darkness, screaming. He landed right in the middle of the herd. The saber that was used on Hurricane, who also popped out of the portal as well, was right next to him. Bless poor Piglet. He raised up as best as he could. Only for the leader of the herd to laugh and burn the blade to cinders. Resulting in the unfortunate situation he's in right now.
Just as he was about to turn the corner, he felt something grab his pink sweater. He was instantly pulled into a dark corner. His ears could pick up the faint sounds of hooves and neighs behind him. He breathed frantically when he heard someone shushing him.
"Keep your voice down." The little voice was hushed. Feminine. Maybe about Lacy's age. "They won't find us as long as we don't scream."
"Th-Th-th-thank you." Piglet stuttered. "Do they pick on you too?"
"All the time. Good thing you were screaming earlier. Otherwise I wouldn't have grabbed you in time. You were heading straight for a drop a few feet from you." In the dark, a pair of light blue eyes moved as she spoke. "M-m-my name's Wisp. What's yours?"
"Piglet."
"Nice to meet you." Suddenly, she started to glow. Blue flames flared gently on her body. It soon revealed a small foal. A thin body, ribs showing through the skin. The eyes blue and deep. Legs stick-like. There was a sense of sadness. She moved forward to the entrance of their hiding place. "They're gone. I know somewhere we can go before they come back."
Piglet stared in shock. He wanted to scream. Then, the fear of bringing that herd back struck his mind. Finding Pooh! His friends! The mere thought of finding them crushing his skull. A flash of Wisp's teeth soon tossed made him faint.
-(Rabbit, Goblin village)-
A group of Goblins were patrolling the streets of their little village. Gray-green skin wrapped in a vest and shorts that can only be seen by torch light. More like fighting over the stuff they have while trying to find out what crashed into one of the wooden houses they were in the process of building. In one alley, a pile of sludge moved slightly. A pair of ears popped out, followed by a pair of eyes. Rabbit slowly looked around. When the cost was clear, Rabbit crept out. "Ugh! Yuckh!" He groaned. "Have these Goblins clean themselves up?"
Rabbit brushed away the muck on his fur. He flinched a few times as he moved his arms. His body ached from the impact when he was launched out of the portal. He didn't even realize there was a wooden pole holding up the house. He rubbed his arms gently. Now that everything had quitted down, it was the perfect opportunity to find the others. Rabbit peered around the corner. Not a Goblin in sight. "Good," He whispers. "Now to find the others and get out of here."
He tipped toed around in the dark. Rabbit kept his saber in hand. As far as he knew, it was dimly lit around this strange village. A few torches had some small bones woven into the torches and walls. It was a forbidden place. One that would likely make a Goblin jump at him in the dark. He couldn't take any chances. His hand snatched a torch nearby before he leaped to the nearest house. He peered through a window that was big enough for him to crawl through. So far, no one was there.
The room seemed to belong to an older Goblin. A large bed with a pillow laid there. One pillow seemed to be under the covers. A bookshelf that looked so much like Owl's stood against one wall. A sentinel that contained a numerous amount of knowledge. A picture of a morbid creature was woven into a tapestry.
Rabbit carefully moved his sword over the ledge and onto the bed. He had one foot over the window ridge. Then, flopped on a surprisingly soft mattress that rustled under his weight. He picked up the saber. Guess I should wait here until morning, he thought. At least if there is sunlight here, I should be able to see where I'm going. He then turned to notice one corner had a bit of green. Part of it hidden behind a black, greasy curtain. Rabbit walked over to it. He gasped. There were pots that had some flowers seemingly to belong to Rainbow Forest and Emerald Jungle. A few of them were a little wilted.
Rabbit knelt closer. "What on earth?" He rubbed the petals of a red rose. It went limp from his hand. "Hmm. Could stand for more water. Maybe some fresh dirt." He shook himself. He suddenly remembered what King Moonsoul had said about the land. "Wait a minute. What am I saying? How could there be plants here? By the looks of this place, nothing seems to grow." His ears perked when he heard a small noise behind him. He whirled around slowly.
The lump rose from the brown sheets. It moved and shifted. Then, a little head popped out of it. It was a young goblin. She had the same skin as the others, but she had robin egg blue eyes. Her hair was wispy. Dark strands that haven't passed her little pointed ears. She looked to where Rabbit was. By the looks of her, she looked to be two years old. "Hellwo… Who you?"
Before Rabbit could answer, let alone scream, something hard hit him in the back of the head. He collapsed with a thud. The only word he could say in that moment was "Ow." Then, everything went black.
-(Eeyore, the bat caverns)-
Eeyore tried to move through the darkness. Each time he moved, he kept bumping into a stalagmite. Braying in the process. He shook himself. He knows that he's in a cavern. After all, he's feet are touching solid rock. He just doesn't know where he is exactly.
"Honnkmph!" He grunted as he hit another stalagmite. "Oh great. I did it again." He suddenly heard some rustling. Eeyore turned his head to the direction of the sound. "Sounds like it's coming from that direction. I wonder if they would help me?" He shook his head. "Not that they would care." He continued walking in that direction. Bumping into more rocks and stalagmite. It didn't take long for him to hear someone.
"Oi. Do you hear that?" said one voice.
"Sounds like we've got an annoying bloke, mate." Responded the other. "We better go check it out before general Megav gives us a royal thumpin'."
A faint thumping echoed in the cave. Eeyore listened again, this time he knew it was flapping wings. Very large wings. Nearly as big as Echowing. He quickly ducked behind a rock. He held back his mouth as pain erupted on his skull. He peeked his head over the dark. His eyes widened as he saw large shapes. One had violet eyes like Lacy and the other was steely gray.
"It couldn't have gotten far." The violet eyed one said. Sniffing sounds echoed across the cavern. "Smells like an outsider."
The grey eyes widened. "An outsider? Here?! As in from Rainbow Forest or the Golden Desert?!"
"No...Something entirely different. It does come from a forest but not Rainbow."
"Uh oh." Eeyore whispered. "Time for me to run." Silently as he could, he walked past the large shapes. His eyes focused on them. Before long, he started to run. His heart lurched as a rock nearest to him fell when he bumped into it. As the eyes flashed, he began to run. His feet carrying him as fast as the darkness would allow him. Dodging the swoops and tackles. Then, saw a light. That might be the way out, he thought. That is if there is one.
"You can't escape now!" The violet-eyed creature soon revealed to be a big brown bat with massive leathery wings. Teeth flashing in the light.
I knew it. Eeyore thought glumly. End of the road for me. Suddenly, he fell forward. His eyes suddenly blinded by light. Air rushing around him. "Hoooonnnkkk!"
-(Roo and Kanga, the open plains)-
Kanga and Roo shivered. They just arrived in these strange, barren plain that can be almost mistaken for a desert. Roo was put in Kanga's pouch to avoid any cold. Kanga was calling out to their friends over the roar of wind. Her ears strained to hear anything. Nothing. Just black dirt and scraggly grass patches dotting the land.
"M-m-m-m-m-m-mama?" Roo said. "W-w-w-w-where are we?"
Kaga was a bit reluctant to answer. She remembered that Tobias mentioned a place where the bone creatures lived. He even showed a map that he managed to draw with the help of a few scouts who've been there. "Roo dear, we're in the Hollow Realm." A roar sounded. She gasped. The ground beneath her feet began to vibrate. "Roo! We need to hide!" Kanga immediately started bouncing.
She was only a few feet when two bone creatures appeared out of nowhere. One resembled a rhino while another was a hippo. Kanga stopped short to make a quick turn. They were arguing about something, but she didn't know what. Suddenly, more of them came. All running around. Some almost crushed her and Roo. The maddening sounds of roars was starting to get too much for her. She had to get somewhere higher to avoid getting hurt. But there's no hills anywhere, Kanga thought. Maybe if I can get on one with anyone noticing...
"Roo! Hold on tight!" She felt Roo tighten his grip on her as she bounced up as high as she could. Her arms reached out, hoping to catch at least a tail. To her luck, Kanga had her hands on a rib. Roo had to move slightly in order to avoid being smacked in the face. She pulled up as quickly as she could to avoid impacts. She got up just before some tiger-like thing bumped into the creature's large side.
Kanga sighed as she rebalanced herself. Her feet began to sting from bouncing on the harsh ground. All the excitement at the desert was beginning to drain her. However, this wasn't an ideal place to sleep. She just had to wait until it was safe to move.
-(Tigger and Lumpy, Blacktooth Cliffs)-
"Whoa!" Lumpy shouted. He began to fall over as rock began to crumble underneath him.
"Gotcha!" Tigger grabbed Lumpy's tail at the last all of his strength he pulled Lumpy back from a deadly fall. The two of them pressed against the rocky cliffs that lead into a black, inky ocean. "Whoo boy! Any moment longer and you would've been a goner."
Lumpy grew nervous. They all went through the same portal. Where did everyone else go? He looked around the stone wall, but couldn't find anything. The worst part was that it was getting dark. The sun turns everything violet in the horizon. To his luck there was a path that should lead them away from the cliffs. He used his trunk to tap on Tigger's shoulder. He pointed at the path.
Tigger followed his gaze. "Nice work, Lumpy." He was about to take a step when a sliver of rock crumbled away. Tigger's mouth formed a small "o". His whole body stiffened. He may be strong, but one wrong move could mean a dip in that weird ocean. There was no telling what was under those waters. He gulped. "We should probably move a little slow. I'll use my bouncing to find the others when we get up there." With that, he and Lumpy sidled against the wall. Hoping that it would be safe when they get there.
-(Owl, Gopher and Kessy, Raven Mountain)-
"CARNSARNATE!" Gopher yelled. He punched a raven that got a little too close to Owl. "Why didn't anyone tell us about these darn portals? How the heck did we wind up in this mess?!" He grabbed a fistful of feathers as Owl tilted abruptly.
Kessy was dodging as best as she could. The mountain gales tossing her around. It was bad enough to brave through sandy winds, but now she had to avoid crashing into rocks. She screeched when she felt a raven pecked her back as it passed by. She faltered. Almost falling into the abyss. Kessy was caught by Gopher in a matter of seconds.
"Something must've happened when Tigger threw his blade at Hurricane." Owl observed. "I remember Lacy talking about that earlier while we were on the boat. All spells require a frame of focus in order for the spell to work. Remember when Echowing said the same thing about the travel spell? Whoo!" Owl barely dodged a few ravens. They were now forming a black mass before the group. A black cloud ready to seal their doom.
"By any chance do ya know a spell that can...Oh I don't know...Get us outta here!" Gopher threw another punch at another raven.
"Just one." Owl said. "Just give me a moment." His mind frantically shifted through the spells he read with Lacey during his time at the Library. Then he had it. "I know! Bl-" Before he could recite the words, he found himself facing a wall of thorny vines that sprang out of nowhere. He tried to find an opening but the vines tangled and weaved. It tightened around the space of him and his friends. Owl heard laughing above his cage. He looked up and gasped. "Chimeras..."
Instead of Hurricane and Whirlwind, there were three Chimeras. Two that resembled reptiles while the other resembled a wild boar. "Well," Said the boar. "Lookie what we have here, a couple of trespassers in our turf."
"It's our turf!" A raven cried. "We had them first! So why don't you go get mixed up! You walking puzzles!"
"We live in this mountain under the king's orders!" Shouted the boar. "Just getting these three is our meal ticket to any food! So you get lost, Sootfeathers!"
Before long, arguing erupted. The air filled with curses and insults. Some words that Owl, Gopher and Kessy would never want to repeat. Even a few ravens began to attack. Feathers started to fly everywhere. This was a opportunity that Owl needed. He focused on his spell. "Blazing winds and Bright cinders. Fire, I call to thee come thee hithers!" A ball of fire burst out. Burning away the vines.
Owl dove out. He and the others coughed from some of the smoke the fire ball produced. He saw a hidden crevice that should hide them. He took that chance. The enemy being none the wiser. When Owl settled Gopher and Kessy down, he looked back. It should be safe for a while, he thought. He gasped. Just above the horizon, the setting sun revealed a wicked looking castle. It was the very castle that King Moonsoul warned them about. Castle Nevermoor.
That's it for this chapter. Just a little insight of what Pooh and friends would be facing while in the Hollow Realm. Don't worry. They'll have help. Review!