Continuation from: No One Can Hear You Scream
Timestamp: 70th of Winter, 511 AV
Darkness.
Deep, impenetrable darkness.
That had become the trio's world as soon as they left the relative safety of Taloba. Oh, the first two hundred yards of open terrain outside the city gates were easy enough to navigate with Leth's pale light illuminating the barren land in an eerie glow. No tree or shrub grew there, no stone large enough to be hefted and used as a projectile could be found. Only the large stakes that lined the based of the walls - made to deter anyone trying to climb into Taloba without the Myrians' permission - broke the emptiness. That cleared space served as a buffer between the walled city and the encroaching jungle, a kill zone for the archers that lined Taloba's ramparts to shoot down anyone and anything approaching the city at any point other than the city gates.
Those archers would have lined the ramparts at regular intervals on any other day. Instead, when Siiri had glanced back, she could count on one hand the silhouettes of those who stayed to keep watch on the walls. Most had left their stations, called to aid in quelling the fires that spread across the city, to help evacuate those trapped in collapsed buildings, to gather the wounded. The Myrian did not linger on the sight of her own people thrown into disarray by the quake. They were a hardy lot, the Myrians. They would sort things out before she got back. She just knew it. Right now, more pressing matters called for her attention.
Once the three of them plunged into the foliage, the jungle stole their sight from them. No amount of moonlight could break through the thick canopy above them and they could not see their fingers had they waved their own hands inches from their own faces. In the dark of the jungle, it was as if the sense of sight never existed.
Well, for Siiri and Revy, at least. No doubt Mihai could see everything as clear as day in his tiger form. Siiri was glad she had taken the time to enlist the kelvic's help. He would be invaluable in both tracking Miharu was well as serving as their eyes at night. Even now, she could sense his sure and steady tread, quiet against jungle's soft floor, leading them unerringly towards Miharu. Still, Siiri felt naked and vulnerable. It was one thing to patrol the jungles in the company of her fang, but it was an entriely different thing to venture into it beside a deyhan and an untrained tiger-boy.
And at night!
She could not begin to enumerate the possible dangers they could face during the hours of Leth's reign over the sky, and yet they willingly entered the jungle. Better the others didn't know, she supposed, especially Revy. The human mercenary might not have agreed to accompany her had had she been aware of everything the Falyndar wilds could throw at them. They just had to be vigilant as they traveled.
Siiri was just considering whether to risk using a torch to light the path they would be taking, or rather, the path they would be carving out of the dense vegetation, when one flickered to life beside her. Revy could not stand to be deprived of her sight, it seemed.
Even though it gave away our position to the jungle's denizens within a mile radius.
There was no help for it. It was either that or travel blind, and Siiri preferred to see what got the jump on her before it tried to go for her throat. With a nod at Revy, the Myrian motioned for the both of them to follow Mihai. It seemed as if the tiger kelvic had picked up his sister's scent. Miharu was heading north, just as the seer had said.
"Lead on, tigerling," Siiri bade unnecessarily. She and Revy would do their best to follow as Mihai wound his way through the foliage.
OOCGuys, feel free to write whatever, don't just react to my writing. With your permission, as storyteller I'll sometimes be positioning or controlling minor actions of your PCs.