Moga: Getting back on track with this. Anyway, I decided to stop the
quotes. They were a rather annoying to find, but if you want them back say
so, and I'll re-add them. I can't stand the short chapters any more. I'm
shooting for longer chapters, so there may be more time in between posting.
Raven's mind swam in a sea of swirling gray, trying to fight off consciousness and continue sleeping. Her mind, however, surfaced, leading to a high-pitched ringing in her ears and a throbbing headache. She cracked her eyes open, but couldn't see. A padding scratching noise was somewhere nearby, followed by a different scratching noise. Somewhere else, the sound of dripping water echoed.
A moment later, the cavern she was in was lit by the soft glow of the fire. Raven turned her head to see a creature on the other side of the fire. Two deep brown eyes were set into a mass of tangled, matted black fur, topped with two pointed black ears. A pitched black nose sat twitching slightly at the tip of a muzzle. The head hung low, just brushing the thing's body, which was flanked by four legs ending in paws (basically a black dog).
"I hope you know, this is costing me a lot," the dog said. "Master will not be pleased if he found out I helped you. You owe me your life." It put a good deal of emphasis on the last sentence.
"I. guess I do. Thank you," Raven said quietly. "What happened, anyway? I don't. quite remember."
The creature paled slightly (though Raven didn't notice because of its thick fur). "I assure you, it was nothing. It was an old tunnel. But not VERY old!" It added hastily. "By the way, my name's Klex. Nice to meet you, Raven."
Raven jumped slightly in shock. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you now my name?"
"I-I-I don't! You just have the dark air of a raven, that is all! Really!" Klex backed up a bit, lowering his tail. Raven frowned slightly. Something wasn't right.
Raven had moved from where she had been laying on the rock. She sat near the fire, bathing in its soft glow. She cast a wary glance in the direction of Klex. There was something very wrong about the whole situation. Raven had tried going over the events of her recent past, starting with when she got to this planet, but hunger destroyed any hope of a good mental analysis. Klex, having heard her stomach voice its hunger, set about making the best meal he could with the food he had in the cave. He put several chunks of pinkish meat on a stick and held it over the fire to cook. The fire's heat began to change the meat to a more peach-like color, indicating it was cooked to a healthy degree. He pulled the meat off the stick and placed it onto a large leaf, the closest available item to a plate that he possessed in the cave. Raven jumped slightly as she felt the hard pads of Klex's foot on her shoulder. He smiled slightly at her reaction, holding up the meat-laden leaf for her to see. "I made something to eat," he stated. Raven stared at his offering of food for a minute, before accepting the food, leaf and all, and setting it down beside herself. She carefully selected a piece, examining it. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Klex had a piece. Deeming the meat safe, or that Klex was just very stupid, she took a small nibble. The meat was like nothing she had ever had before. It was tough, but not chewy or dry. The food filled her surprisingly quickly, silencing her stomachs protests for the time being. Even though she had been sleeping recently, the warmth of the fire and food in her stomach urged her eyelids to feel heavy. Not expecting much in the way of a bed, Raven curled up on her sides, putting her hands under her head as a meager substitute for a pillow.
Klex laughed softly as he watched Raven attempt to sleep. He honestly thought she was a good kid. The only thing he disliked about her so far was her apparent lack of belief in his hospitality. Yes, this was a job for him, but he was trying to make it as nice as possible. After all, why ruin someone when this all could have been a misunderstanding or a mistake or that he really hadn't been told the plan. After all, the plan could be much larger than he was actually told. Smiling slightly, he stood up, stretched, and padded over to where Raven lay. Had she been smaller, he would have carried her, but she was defiantly too big for that. With a nudge of his nose, Raven turned to face him, brow wrinkled in question. He smiled lightly again. "This way to bed," he said, in a joking tone of voice.
Raven looked up at Klex, not sure what he was talking about, but to tired to form the words to say that. He chuckled slightly at her confused expression. "Don't tell me you thought I'd let you sleep on the floor!" Klex laughed. Raven lowered her head a little, feeling rather sheepish. "Come," he said, motioning for her to follow with one paw. Raven followed Klex into the darkness of the cave. While she could see very well at night, the cave was the closest thing she had ever seen, or, in this case, perhaps not seen, to total darkness. The only thing she had to follow was the rhythmic clicking of Klex's nails on the rocky floor. Raven tried to look at the rock formations that were hiding, cloaked in shadows, seemingly just out of sight. Paying more attention to trying to find the elusive rocks, Raven didn't notice when Klex stopped moving. Bumping into his tangled, but soft, fur broke her from her shallow trance.
Klex smiled softly, although he knew the gesture would be lost to Raven. Most likely, she could only see his eyes, being with the lack of natural or other light. "Looking for something?" He questioned. She stared back at him, something sad glinting in her eyes.
Raven was all too aware that something was wrong. This cave was something other than a cave. Perhaps, if she asked, he would let something slip, and she'd know for sure this cave was more than alien. She opened her mouth, finding her lips hard to open from lack of speaking. "Where are the rock formations?" She asked him. He smiled, and she smirked slightly, knowing that her senses were sharper and more honed than he thought. "They were destroyed long ago, and many times recently. When the heavy rains come, they flow down here and rush downwards, into the lower caverns. Before anything to big can form, the rains destroy them. It is unfortunate, for I've been told about the wonders of those rocks." Raven smirk disappeared, replaced with a small frown. There was true sincerity in his voice. But something nagged at the back of her mind. Something about what he had said, something that she couldn't quite place, seemed very wrong somehow.
Klex sighed inwardly. He had to keep moving before she asked something else. Too many questions and he knew he would let something slip. He just hoped he hadn't already.
Moga: Well, that was longer. I think I have a better feel for exactly where I want this to go. Before I only really knew the end and some of the middle. Plus I thought of something very confusing to put in later. Something that will make a lot of sense after it happens.
Raven's mind swam in a sea of swirling gray, trying to fight off consciousness and continue sleeping. Her mind, however, surfaced, leading to a high-pitched ringing in her ears and a throbbing headache. She cracked her eyes open, but couldn't see. A padding scratching noise was somewhere nearby, followed by a different scratching noise. Somewhere else, the sound of dripping water echoed.
A moment later, the cavern she was in was lit by the soft glow of the fire. Raven turned her head to see a creature on the other side of the fire. Two deep brown eyes were set into a mass of tangled, matted black fur, topped with two pointed black ears. A pitched black nose sat twitching slightly at the tip of a muzzle. The head hung low, just brushing the thing's body, which was flanked by four legs ending in paws (basically a black dog).
"I hope you know, this is costing me a lot," the dog said. "Master will not be pleased if he found out I helped you. You owe me your life." It put a good deal of emphasis on the last sentence.
"I. guess I do. Thank you," Raven said quietly. "What happened, anyway? I don't. quite remember."
The creature paled slightly (though Raven didn't notice because of its thick fur). "I assure you, it was nothing. It was an old tunnel. But not VERY old!" It added hastily. "By the way, my name's Klex. Nice to meet you, Raven."
Raven jumped slightly in shock. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you now my name?"
"I-I-I don't! You just have the dark air of a raven, that is all! Really!" Klex backed up a bit, lowering his tail. Raven frowned slightly. Something wasn't right.
Raven had moved from where she had been laying on the rock. She sat near the fire, bathing in its soft glow. She cast a wary glance in the direction of Klex. There was something very wrong about the whole situation. Raven had tried going over the events of her recent past, starting with when she got to this planet, but hunger destroyed any hope of a good mental analysis. Klex, having heard her stomach voice its hunger, set about making the best meal he could with the food he had in the cave. He put several chunks of pinkish meat on a stick and held it over the fire to cook. The fire's heat began to change the meat to a more peach-like color, indicating it was cooked to a healthy degree. He pulled the meat off the stick and placed it onto a large leaf, the closest available item to a plate that he possessed in the cave. Raven jumped slightly as she felt the hard pads of Klex's foot on her shoulder. He smiled slightly at her reaction, holding up the meat-laden leaf for her to see. "I made something to eat," he stated. Raven stared at his offering of food for a minute, before accepting the food, leaf and all, and setting it down beside herself. She carefully selected a piece, examining it. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Klex had a piece. Deeming the meat safe, or that Klex was just very stupid, she took a small nibble. The meat was like nothing she had ever had before. It was tough, but not chewy or dry. The food filled her surprisingly quickly, silencing her stomachs protests for the time being. Even though she had been sleeping recently, the warmth of the fire and food in her stomach urged her eyelids to feel heavy. Not expecting much in the way of a bed, Raven curled up on her sides, putting her hands under her head as a meager substitute for a pillow.
Klex laughed softly as he watched Raven attempt to sleep. He honestly thought she was a good kid. The only thing he disliked about her so far was her apparent lack of belief in his hospitality. Yes, this was a job for him, but he was trying to make it as nice as possible. After all, why ruin someone when this all could have been a misunderstanding or a mistake or that he really hadn't been told the plan. After all, the plan could be much larger than he was actually told. Smiling slightly, he stood up, stretched, and padded over to where Raven lay. Had she been smaller, he would have carried her, but she was defiantly too big for that. With a nudge of his nose, Raven turned to face him, brow wrinkled in question. He smiled lightly again. "This way to bed," he said, in a joking tone of voice.
Raven looked up at Klex, not sure what he was talking about, but to tired to form the words to say that. He chuckled slightly at her confused expression. "Don't tell me you thought I'd let you sleep on the floor!" Klex laughed. Raven lowered her head a little, feeling rather sheepish. "Come," he said, motioning for her to follow with one paw. Raven followed Klex into the darkness of the cave. While she could see very well at night, the cave was the closest thing she had ever seen, or, in this case, perhaps not seen, to total darkness. The only thing she had to follow was the rhythmic clicking of Klex's nails on the rocky floor. Raven tried to look at the rock formations that were hiding, cloaked in shadows, seemingly just out of sight. Paying more attention to trying to find the elusive rocks, Raven didn't notice when Klex stopped moving. Bumping into his tangled, but soft, fur broke her from her shallow trance.
Klex smiled softly, although he knew the gesture would be lost to Raven. Most likely, she could only see his eyes, being with the lack of natural or other light. "Looking for something?" He questioned. She stared back at him, something sad glinting in her eyes.
Raven was all too aware that something was wrong. This cave was something other than a cave. Perhaps, if she asked, he would let something slip, and she'd know for sure this cave was more than alien. She opened her mouth, finding her lips hard to open from lack of speaking. "Where are the rock formations?" She asked him. He smiled, and she smirked slightly, knowing that her senses were sharper and more honed than he thought. "They were destroyed long ago, and many times recently. When the heavy rains come, they flow down here and rush downwards, into the lower caverns. Before anything to big can form, the rains destroy them. It is unfortunate, for I've been told about the wonders of those rocks." Raven smirk disappeared, replaced with a small frown. There was true sincerity in his voice. But something nagged at the back of her mind. Something about what he had said, something that she couldn't quite place, seemed very wrong somehow.
Klex sighed inwardly. He had to keep moving before she asked something else. Too many questions and he knew he would let something slip. He just hoped he hadn't already.
Moga: Well, that was longer. I think I have a better feel for exactly where I want this to go. Before I only really knew the end and some of the middle. Plus I thought of something very confusing to put in later. Something that will make a lot of sense after it happens.