The Chieftain slept soundly with his wife, his arms wrapped around her stomach. Both breathed quietly and were content with the warmth the other gave off. Comfortable sleep like this was rare due to a certain addition to their family. A pair of eyes peeked at them and a tiny body bounced up and down before jumping on them.
"Mama. Papa. Wake up." Blake whispered and shook their shoulders.
"Blake, it's early... go back to sleep." He said tiredly.
"But you said we'd go out." She said.
"Later." He said.
"Mama. Make papa get up and take me to the lake." Blake said.
"Ragnar... you did promise her." Ragnar's wife said.
"I will take her after my hunt, Alma." Ragnar murmured.
Blake just puffed her cheeks and wiggled her way in between them, crossing her arms and staring at the ceiling with a pout. The years had surprisingly gone by quickly, and despite her being born on the surface, she was accepted as part of the community in the Down Below.
She wore a little outfit made of soft fur and pelts. Little boots to protect her feet, and a necklace made from the shells she found near the lake. She was a young and curious mind that seemed to grasp their language frighteningly well.
However, behind those innocent eyes was the spirit of an untameable violence should one invoke it in the future.
"Are you going to pout all day?" Alma asked in an amused tone.
"Yes." Blake huffed and continued to stare at the ceiling. Her pout immediately went away when Alma rubbed her cheek against Blake's.
"It's not good to pout all day. You'll end up looking like your father." Alma jabbed. A mixture of a snort and a rumble was heard from the man.
"Papa won't have wrinkles if he smiles." Blake said as she climbed over him. He rumbled a bit and flipped onto his back before easily lifting her above him.
"We will go to the lake later." He said and tossed her into the air. She was caught and set down in between him and the blanket was brought over the three of them. The warmth of her parents and the blanket was enough to make anyone fall asleep.
Except her.
She was a ball of feral energy that wanted to explore, hunt, and kill. However, she was too young to go on hunting expeditions. When she reached the ripe age of seven was when she'd be allowed to go on her first hunt. That was three years away unfortunately.
"Did you pray to the Ancient today?" Ragnar asked.
"Mhmm! Three times." Blake nodded and held up three fingers.
Just like everyone else, she had started worshipping the Ancient the moment she was able to understand the language. That his presence made the earth rumble, his saliva could cure any disease, his shed armor gave them weapons to slay any beast, and his blood granted them life and power.
She was taught by the shamans and elders that the Ancient was their God, and that he was an uncontrollable force of nature. Despite them being close to the temple, none of the children were allowed to enter it to see him. They had to wait until they had completed their rite of passage.
Although, she could hear him in the far distance. His mighty roars that seemed to bounce across the underground ecosystem, the vibrations of his attacks, and even the calls to the wild. Everything he did was practically worshipped to a fanatical degree.
If there was one thing Blake adored in a disturbing fashion, it was her fascination with the sacrifices. She had managed to catch her father killing an intruder by breaking his neck with one hand, then dragging the body to the Monster's lair.
She wasn't supposed to see that, but her father could only sigh in exasperation when he found out she saw. From that point on, she has a demented attraction to violence. To her, it was a colorful piece of artwork. The different shades of red blood, the squishy organs, the satisfying snap of bone and tearing of flesh. Any other child would've been traumatized and sent to an asylum
This place was different. Violence was so common here that the thought of peace was seen as weakness. However, senseless violence was frowned upon. There needed to be beauty in it, to hunt and kill was seen the greatest way to respect the natural order.
"Mama, where are the fire bugs?" Blake asked as she twiddled her tiny thumbs.
"In the pot. No, you can't have any." Alma said and slowly sat up.
Fire bugs were insects with large, fat bodies and were about the size of one's hand. They mainly fed on volcanic rock and they often bugged the Monster during the fall seasons. They had two large horns for self defense and thick legs to resist the harsh winds in certain areas. The one thing that was most noticeable was their extreme heat resistance against scorching environments.
Their armor and horns were hard enough to create weapons and armor, but their meat was soft and full of proteins and nutrients. Not to mention, it was sweet in a sense and considered a delicacy. Blake loved eating them and was known to be a glutton when they were served.
"..." Blake was already in the pot with one already in her mouth. She stopped and turned around, seeing the exasperated expression on Alma.
Ragnar sighed and sat up as well. He got out of bed and put his clothes on before picking Blake up. The two stepped out of the hut and she climbed into his shoulders, sitting down with a tiny grunt.
The village was bustling with activity today and she gasped in delight when she saw a little stand that was selling grilled food from the lake. A great feast was being held today to celebrate the day the Monster had finally acknowledged them.
"Papa!" She tugged at his cheek and pointed towards the stand.
"Hmm?" He hummed and followed the direction her tiny finger was pointing to.
"There's shell food and fish. Let's get some for mama." She said.
The two of them went to the stand and grabbed some grilled fish. Blake asked for extra and held onto it firmly. There were three extra sticks of grilled fish in her left hand while one in her right.
"Is that for Alma?" He asked.
"And for Bjorn and Elias." She answered as she nibbled on the fish. Her tiny feet kicked the upper part of his chest and he hummed as they walked. Once she was done with her fish, she threw the stick into one of the fires nearby.
Her eyes were drawn to some individuals in costumes. They danced in a circle around a fire, moving to the next spot then continuing their little ritual. Sticks with rattles on the ends made a loud clicking sound with each shake.
An event was being held and she was as excited as everyone else in the village. Food from dangerous animals, games to be played, music to be listened to, and her favorite... bloody fights.
Everyone down here healed at an unsettling, alarmingly fast rate. Wounds that would kill any lesser man would heal within a day. She's lost count of how many times her father and brothers came back bloody, only to look fine the next day.
"Well if it isn't the runt and my annoying brother." A guttural voice barked out. The two turned to see a large man nearly seven and a half feet tall approach them. His head was bald and littered with scars, tribal tattoos were on his arms, and an ugly burn scar from an acid spitting reptile covered his chest.
"Uncle!" Blake squeaked and started to climb down her father. She grunted as she landed and scampered up to the giant man, crashing into his leg and rubbing her face into his shin.
"Hello, runt." He knelt down on one knee and planted a clawed hand on top of her head. Despite the name he called her, there was no heat behind his words.
"Are you coming to the festival?" She asked.
"I'm the one in charge of the fighting pit." He said and just adjusted himself as Blake climbed on him.
Despite her small size, she was actually an extremely good climber. Although, she was clumsy in some ways, often tripping over her own feet if she got too excited.
Screaming was heard and they turned to see one of the tribe members dragging someone with a bag over their head. Ragnar narrowed his eyes as the person was dragged and thrown at his feet.
A clawed hand tightly gripped the back of his collar and hauled him to his knees, ripping the bag off and allowing him to see. The man was in his early thirties with a mop of black hair and glasses. An all-weather coat was over his shoulders and a large one strap bag hung over his right shoulder.
He held his hands up in a submissive manner and uttered something, it seemed to come across as a plea and a request. When he tried to stand up, one of the villagers slammed their fist on his upper back and he immediately collapsed to his knees.
Blake hugged her uncle's leg and his behind it while watching. The man spoke in a language she didn't even have an inkling of an understanding of. She stepped away from her uncle and scampered behind her father, tugging at his pant leg.
He gently guided her behind him and the outsider froze when he spotted her. He quickly fumbled with his bag while uttering several pleas before bringing out a book.
She stared at it curiously and saw the symbols of their language on the paper. The outsider cleared his throat before trying to make several attempts at speaking their language.
"Papa. It sounds awful." She looked up at him.
"I know." He whispered to her.
"Is he a sacrifice?" She asked and pointed at the man. He seemed to catch onto the last word and internally panicked.
The Organization had sent him down here to learn more about the tribe. They had stopped really coming to the surface within the past few years. It happened at the same time as the fatal crash that killed Ghira and Kali. Their deaths caused dozens of clan members to deeply mourn.
Ghira and Kali were well loved amongst the clans, but she didn't know about Ghira's ties and family history. Their daughter Blake was rumored to be one of the last of the Belladonna clan. Everyone thought she had died in the crash, picked apart by the wild beasts that roamed the wild.
During this time, the tribes had gotten better at destroying their drones and were more violent than ever. Not even Organization members were safe anymore, the more arrogant ones being the first to be used as sacrifices. So they stopped interacting with the underground. Their thirst for knowledge was still high, but they didn't want to risk another civil war with their subterranean counterparts.
They thought the Belladonna clan was practically extinct...
Yet, here the daughter was. Alive and well, seemingly adopted into the underground's culture. Her being here was basically a scientific breakthrough. In all of the recorded history they had on all the tribes and their cultures, there's never been any cases of them accepting someone from the surface. No matter how young the person was, they never accepted outsiders.
That was because they were food to them...
"Learn... about... you..." The man struggled with the language. It was hard to say some words, and understand others. It was a miracle that there were people still on the surface that could understand it at all.
This was the result of thousands of years of isolation from the surface. Where the surface focused on the pursuit of tech and knowledge, the underground simply thrived in their conditions. They lived in the moment because there was no use in trying to live in the future. Here and now was what was important.
The man was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Blake move. Her hair, wild yet well kept, a short-sleeve top that was made from soft fur, the same applied with her bottoms and boots. Around her neck was a necklace made from shells and small animal skulls.
Her eyes scared him though. They glowed yellow, but on a brighter scale. Behind that innocent and curious look was an extremely violent ball of an untamed, savage spirit.
Ragnar narrowed his eyes dangerously at the man and his lips started to pull back into an angry snarl when he saw the man looking at Blake. He knew he was from the Organization because he saw their insignia on his coat.
The outsider seemed to immediately notice and practically threw his gaze at the ground instantly. A cold sweat racked across his system when he felt Ragnar bend down. He felt another overwhelming presence behind him as Ragnar's brother hovered next to his shoulder with a demented bone club.
"Papa. I want to go to the lake." Blake said as she tugged at his pant leg.
"Not now." Ragnar said.
"No! I want to go now! You promised!" She exclaimed and stomped her little feet in anger.
"..." He just rumbled lowly and she immediately stopped. She puffed her cheeks and pouted in anger, even as he picked her up and held her in his arm. However, her pout immediately stopped when he rumbled at another frequency and she tiredly closed her eyes.
The adults could rumble at different frequencies to calm their offspring, an animalistic trait that humans, and even the Faunus, on the surface couldn't do. It was usually used to put them to sleep. Blake was no different.
Despite all of them being a tight-knit, close community. Blake mainly stuck close to her parents and brothers. Other kids seemed to avoid her but that didn't bother her, all of them were young and didn't quite seem to understand the importance of family yet. After some years, they'd understand and it made their bonds stronger.
Alma approached the two and saw the outsider. It's been decades since they've actually had a visitor and the last one they had was Thomas. However, it was clear that the man in front of them was new, not understanding their language like Thomas did.
She saw Blake in her husband's arms and quietly stepped up to them. Her arms snaked around and gently took her from him, cradling her gently. She bounced up and down rhythmically and Blake drifted off. The sticks of grilled fish she had earlier were eaten despite her picking them up for her mother and brothers.
Blake opened her eyes and leaned back a bit, yawning and rubbing her face tiredly. She rubbed her nose against Alma's and gripped her cheeks, planting her forehead against hers and rubbing. Rubbing noses and foreheads together was an affectionate gesture only done by family. It was never done to random people, even if they were well liked.
Which Blake did to nearly everyone because she saw everyone here as family.
A hand was placed on the back of her head and she leaned forward once again, feeling a sudden wave of tiredness spread across her little body.
"What are you going to do?" Alma leaned towards her husband's ear and whispered.
"Kill him." He answered calmly.
"He is a member of that group. Should we kill him, it'll only be a matter of time before they start sending combatants down." She said.
"If we send them back with the knowledge that Blake is in our care, they will try to take her by force." He responded.
Blake was considered to be part of the underground's society. Taking her would invoke the wrath of the tribe and many others, because she was considered the Child of Prophecy. Some viewed her as simply that, but many genuinely loved her presence.
"Mercy will grant us more leeway." She said.
"..." He wasn't convinced and the look on his brother's face wasn't helping. However, his wife has rarely ever steered him wrong. Despite being able to rip a man in half, she was compassionate enough to know that life itself was precious.
"They can try to take her if they want. The surface isn't her home or family, we are. Even if she had to make a choice, she'll choose us." She said.
"..." He still remained silent before ordering his brother to take the outsider back to the surface. His wife was right, the cards were in their hands. If the Organization tried to forcefully take Blake from them, not only would they be treated as an enemy, but they'd also be seen as trespassers by the Ancient. Not to mention Blake would choose them anyways.
This was her home after all...
A large oval table was occupied by several high ranking individuals. They were in the middle of discussing the recent news they had just learned. None of them could believe it at first when the agent they sent to the Down Below returned surprisingly well. A few cuts and bruises, and just a tad bit disturbed, but alive and well nonetheless.
Blake's survival was nothing short of a miracle, but to learn that she was adopted by the tribe was a breakthrough. So the researchers compiled their notes and went through nearly every piece of recorded history between the surface and the underground about them adopting an outsider.
One man in particular remained silent as the others discussed Blake's case.
"Are you listening to us Ozpin?" One of the Organization members asked.
"Yes." He nodded before sipping from his mug. In reality, he wasn't listening all that much. While the case of Blake was concerning, he was more or less concerned about the Ancient.
The primordial beast was surfacing a lot more and causing panic in the outer settlements. He had sent Huntsmen and Huntresses to quell the Grimm that would follow. Half of those brave men and women he sent didn't make it back.
Despite him warning them not to engage the Ancient and to stay at least a mile or two away from him, they still pursued and confronted him. None of those individuals made it back. Some were ripped apart, others were melted, and the rest were eaten and never seen again. They saw the beast as another species of Grimm and decided to test their skills against a literal force of nature.
Ozpin hated trying to cover up the fact that they died in the line of duty to their families. He hated sending people to deal with the horrible creatures that migrated from the underground. Keeping secrets from them about the existence of that place always ate at his old soul. However, he made a deal with the Organization and Mathias to keep it a secret from the world.
He was in the loop as much as the Organization about what was going on below the surface. Everything that dwelled down there was gargantuan, with the smallest creature being the size of a bus. Yet, there were countless amounts of rich resources that could shift the balance of the world forever.
Those mighty crystals that were seen everywhere held enough energy to power an entire kingdom and then some. It was clean, more efficient than Dust, and seemed to be spread across the entire world. Plants that could melt one's body to goop instantly or cure any disease also thrive down there.
The danger would stop everyone though. Large groups that made expeditions down there to collect samples were either eaten by the wildlife, killed by the flora, eaten by the Monster, or used as sacrifices by the tribes. It was a hellish, dangerous place that would drive any normal person insane.
He received a message from one of his contacts. They informed him that another one of the underground's creatures had emerged and as soon as he finished reading, the Organization informed him as well. He was starting to believe that the group had the same contacts as him.
The creature itself was avian in appearance but was larger. Despite it being on the lower end of the food chain below, the same didn't apply for the surface. It was about the size of a car and could pick up an adult male with ease.
"What are we going to do about Ms. Belladonna?" One of the members asked.
"Taking her would only result in us losing the trust of the tribes. Do you really want to risk that?" One of them said.
"She is the last Belladonna though. Without her, we will lose generations upon generations of knowledge." Another one said. While that wasn't necessarily true, the Belladonna bloodline was close to being rendered extinct though.
They all began to discuss what to do next. Some wanted to leave the situation alone while others wanted to bring Blake back up to the surface and have her live a normal life.
"What if we-" Ozpin started but was stopped when an older Organization member slammed his fist in the table, silencing everyone.
"We leave her alone. It is a miracle the tribes are even considering keeping us alive after what we did to the Ancient." The man said and he looked at Ozpin icily.
"I will admit, that was a mistake on my part and I apologize for it." Ozpin sighed.
"I lost many good men and women with that stunt you pulled. You used a frequency that not only drew the Ancient to the surface unwillingly, but you also upset the natural order. Do you know how many ships of civilians lost their lives because some of the creatures escaped into the waters?" He asked bitterly.
"..." Ozpin just remained silent and had a look of regret on his face.
"One more stunt like that and I'll reveal your cursed existence to the world." The man threatened and everything went tense.
"You wouldn't dare." Ozpin said lowly.
"My son was on that island. I saw his body torn to shreds because of your actions. Do you really think I care about what you do to me should I reveal your wretched existence to your allies?" The man narrowed his eyes.
The two just stared at one another. Some understood the man's hatred for Ozpin after that incident that took his only son's life all those years ago. Others felt that this would only cause problems in the future though and would throw the entire world into pandemonium.
"Gentlemen, let's calm down now. This meeting is to deal with Belladonna's case and the Ancient's recent surfacing." One member said as she adjusted herself in her seat.
"She's right..." The man huffed and turned away while crossing his arms.
"He's exploring." Another member said as he watched recent drone footage of the Ancient wandering the surface.
"There has to be more than that." One of them shook his head.
"No, he's right. Look at his behavior, it's not threatening to anyone immediately. He's mainly just wandering around." The man said.
True to his word, the video showed the Monster just minding his own business. He was simply trekking across the Great Plains and forests; either sleeping, eating, or marking his territory. Whenever he comes across something he's never encountered before, he sniffs it or takes experimental bites. He was an intelligent creature and it unsettled a few of them.
Sometimes he spent minutes observing something, other times he spent hours. For example, he was quick to find out ground vehicles exploded if he spat lava bombs at it and simply watched the reaction. Which made him go to the nearest human settlement and destroy all the transport vehicles just to watch them explode for his own amusement.
Other times he would maim his attackers and watch them writhe around in agony before trying to desperately crawl away from him. He toyed with his food depending on if he was angry at them or not.
Ozpin just watched in silent horror when he realized how much the Monster has evolved over the years. This monster went from being nothing but a rabid, slobbering beast to a creature with a frightening amount of intelligence. After being ripped to shreds that night, he made sure every chance he got to put distance between himself and that hellish abomination.
They continued to watch another video of the Monster battling a giant Grimm, quickly taking note of the fact that he could launch his spikes like missiles. It continued to boggle their minds about how many abilities he seemed to have at his disposal yet never used any of them.
"Do you think there's more?" Someone asked.
"Of?" Another one raised an eyebrow.
"Others like him. You all have heard him call out into the wild and you saw how fast he took off when he thought he heard something back." The researcher said.
He was seeing if he had any family.
The thought was sad in the hearts of some. A mighty creature like this, who had all the power yet no one to bond with. He was violent because it was both in his nature and he must've had an inkling of an idea that he was the last of his kind.
Ozpin however felt that it was a good thing. The thought of more like the Monster disturbed him, the amount of death and destruction that could be caused would be catastrophic.
He needed to avoid this walking force of nature at all costs.
The Monster returned to the underground after his recent trip to the surface. As he made his way to the temple, he stopped when he caught a familiar scent. His gaze turned towards the village and walked up to it. His colossal body easily weaved through it and avoided crushing any of the huts.
Everyone froze when they saw him inside the village and bowed at his presence. He bent down close to them and inhaled each of their scents. They could feel his hot breath on their skin and the smell of molten rock reached their nostrils.
His gaze swept over each one and he eventually stopped when he hovered over Ragnar and his family. The four of them bowed down with their heads in the soil. However, the Monster's gaze was solely on one individual.
She was an outsider but carried the scent of his blood and of the Belladonna clan. Her body was microscopic compared to his, even the tip of his claw stood several feet over her and the others. His gaze was laser focused on her as he got uncomfortably close. Her scent was sweet compared to the others and he simply stared at her.
Unfortunately, due to her young and curious mind, she looked up. Once she did, her eyes locked into one of his massive ones. She saw a whirlpool of untamed violence that he was capable of, a primordial power rested inside his armored body and it caused her to freeze. Instead of a fearful gaze, he received a curious and awestruck one from her. There was a hidden form of an untamed spirit that rested in her. Nearly all his underlings had it and that was what kept them from being eaten.
An almost inaudible rumble reverberated from his throat as the two stared at one another. One of Blake's older brothers saw her looking at the Monster and tried to usher her head down, only to throw his own down when the Monster snapped his jaws at him. A loud, thunderous crack that made everyone flinch. His mighty gaze was turned back to Blake as she continued to stare at him from her hands and knees. Neither one moved from one another and the Monster opened his mouth, an orange glow emitting from the back of his throat.
A few panicked and thought that she was going to be consumed, but to their silent awe, a small glowing stone was dropped in front of her. It was in the shape of an oval and was warm to the touch. In the center was a swirl and she could see energy inside of it. A tidal wave of power that crashed against one another inside the stone.
The Monster stood up to his full height, towering over the mighty walls of the village before turning towards the temple. He trekked towards it and avoided stomping anyone in his way in. Despite his lack of care for what they did, they did keep the pests from his lair and allowed him to sleep peacefully.
While he retreated to his nest to slumber, everyone else slowly stood up. They turned to Blake and saw her simply kneeling there with an empty, hazy expression. Ragnar knelt down in front of her and gently gripped her shoulders, shaking her a bit to try and come to her senses. He saw a swirl of energy in her yellow eyes before she seemed to shut down and limply collapse to the side.
Alma panicked as she scooped Blake into her arms and cradled her. The fear of losing another child hit her like a train and she felt her whole world come crashing down. So much that she would have shut down herself had one of the elders not come.
The older man picked up the stone but immediately dropped it when it scorched his hand. Ragnar looked at it and winced when it burned his hand as well before adjusting to the heat. He held it and stared at it with awe before turning to Blake.
To everyone's reassurance, she breathed softly in her mother's arms. Alma just cradled her in her arms and rubbed her face against her daughter's. She shook like a leaf and they've never seen her look so fearful before.
They understood her fear though, losing one child was never easy to heal from. The thought of losing another was too much for her heart to handle.
She stood up and followed the elders to a hut towards the right side of the village. Despite Blake simply just being asleep, she was held tightly and secured in her mother's arms. It was a struggle to even get her to let go even a little bit, but eventually she set the girl down on a soft blanket.
The elders gathered around and lit some incense, waving it around above Blake's head and muttering some chants. Wisps of cinder floated out of their mouths and they rattled their trinkets around. Ancient words from thousands of years ago were spoken and prayers were sent.
This would go on for several minutes before it all went silent and Blake coughed wetly and shakily sat up. Her vision was slightly blurry and she blinked several times, looking around to see that she was in the elders' hut for discussions. She was engulfed in a hug and panicked momentarily before recognizing the scent.
She managed to wiggle around to face her mother. A tiny hand was placed on the older woman's cheek and she gave that little, innocent smile she always gave. Her hands clumsily wiped away her mother's tears before reassuring her that she was fine.
"Child... why did you look at the Ancient?" An elder asked.
"I...I don't know..." Blake said as she scratched her head.
"You know you're supposed to show utmost respect to him." Another one scolded.
"Did I look at him?" She asked and looked around.
"Blake... do you not remember?" Ragnar asked.
"Remember what?" She asked.
"Locking eyes with the Ancient." Ragnar answered. When she tilted her head at everyone and blinked owlishly at them, they realized she was telling the truth. Although, she couldn't tell a lie to save her life, she was never one to lie to anybody in the first place. It made them realize she actually didn't know what happened within the last hour.
"Can we get food?" She tugged at her mother's hand and gestured to her mouth. Her little teeth were sharp, even more than the children her age that lived on the surface. Years of consuming the Monster's blood had changed her unsurprisingly.
"Yes... let's go get something to eat... and we'll take a nice nap right after..." Alma said shakily as she gently gripped Blake's hand. The two began to leave and Blake beamed up at her, giving a smile so warm and innocent that it made her heart skip a beat.
Despite her being reassured a bit, she was still internally panicking. She couldn't help these maternal feelings at times. It happened whenever her sons were severely injured in the past.
Ragnar went to follow them but was stopped by the elders, who simply sat on their pillows and gestured for him to sit in his spot. Once he did, it was silent as he glanced at each of them.
"The visions were true." One of them said.
"..." He just remained silent and held the small stone in his hand. It burned slightly but his tough skin was quickly adapting.
"It is best that we keep the gem that the-" One of them started.
"No." He interrupted, silencing them momentarily.
"What?" The first elder asked.
"The Ancient gave the stone to her. It is hers and hers alone." He answered.
"She is not ready for that power." Another elder said.
"No... but let her live a life like the others. Despite being from the outside, she is one of us. Throwing her into that responsibility or trying to take away her freedom will only turn her against us." A quiet elder said surprisingly. The others listened and mulled over the words.
"She is not the Chosen One, The Child of Prophecy, or some other title right now. She is my daughter first and foremost. Throwing her into that position at this age will only hurt us in the end. Let her love for us be genuine instead of forced." He reasoned.
At first, he saw Blake as the child in the visions of many. Like everyone else, she was simply an individual who received that title. As the years passed and the older she got, he realized how much she genuinely loved them all. Despite being from the surface, she was part of the tribe as much as the others who were born down here.
He loved her as much as he loved his wife and sons. A majority of the time they forgot she didn't come from the underground originally. She was so integrated in the underground society that the surface would reject her if she even remotely tried to live up there.
"There will be a day when she is curious about the surface." One elder said.
"We will deal with that accordingly. For now, let the child enjoy this life. She is part of us and always will be." Another one said.
They all discussed the matter some more before parting ways for the day. The underground was dim and many had turned in for the night. Ragnar just sighed quietly as he walked towards his hut. He entered and saw his sons were already asleep. They always did go to bed early.
Blake and Alma sat on the fur bed, the former sitting on the latter's lap. A story was being read and he sat down next to them. He listened to one of the stories of how the Monster defeated an entire kingdom thousands of years ago. What could be considered a horror story was usually seen as a great one down here.
It was also his favorite as a child.
Blake rubbed her eyes tiredly and crawled to her spot in the middle. As soon as he face hit the pillow, she fell asleep and breathed softly. Both her parents looked at one another before lying down on both sides of her and crawling underneath the fur blanket and closing their eyes.
They draped their arms over her protectively and eventually fell asleep themselves.
While they slept, the Monster watched over his territory protectively, acting as a guardian to his home.