In the dead of night, 23rd of Summer (or early morning of the 24th) , 512 AV:
The time comes once in a while that a Pycon needs to feed. In order to survive, a Pycon needs to eat clay. What could be a better food store than the local clay mines?
Koeher was running low in his store of clay in his home barrel, so he'd have to go to the mines to be able to eat again. He'd eat there and carry back as much clay as he could carry. He had not done anything in the day, having rested from his encounter the day before and lazed around, so it was time that he did something.
At this time, even the night life was still. The whole city asleep; the stillness is never peaceful in Sunberth, but only unnerving...
A short walk outside the city to the clay mines was not a grueling pain, but instead quite refreshing for Koeher. He didn't immerse himself in his surroundings, blissfully unaware while walking through the short expanse of countryside. As he neared the mines he wondered how dark they could possibly be inside, and if he could actually see the clay that he needed. Though he takes comfort while hiding in the shadows, total darkness in the complete stillness of this witching hour would probably drive him mad.
As he walked towards the mines, he noticed that the entrance was lit, along with the inside. The chamber in which the miners would rest was fully lit with lanterns, the passageway partially lit with torches by someone who was probably there before Koeher.
He stepped into the silent mine and walked down the passage, when he began digging out clay with the end of his py-pole. He nibbled slowly on a medium-sized chunk of clay, about a third of his size, and was satisfied for about the next week or so for eating. With the clay that he brought with him, he wouldn't have to return for the next two weeks at least when he ran out of clay. As he dug the clay, he felt wind coming from deep within the tunnels of the mine, and he felt his insignificance compared to the vastness of its depths.
Suddenly, he heard shouting, as if someone was barking orders at someone, then... footsteps, the patter of running feet. Koeher didn't trust the sound of these night people at all. They seemed far down the passage, so he had enough time to think on a way to hide... The hole that he had dug out was a small crevice, and he could sit in it and not be noticed in the dim light as long as he was still and nobody looked directly at him for more than a moment. He took off his helmet and stuck it in the soft clay furthest in the crevice, then slid in afterwards. He did not match the color of this clay exactly, but if he morphed himself to the form of the wall, he would be difficult to spot. The sprinter came by, with a sort of strange fan, running to the end of the passageway for some reason. After a while, Koeher had come to his senses and realized that something was definitely going on. The man came back down the passageway, fanning out every torch as he went in a kind of ridiculous manner. Koeher was frightened as he heard screaming and then dead silence near the entrance to the mine, where the runner was headed.
After a minute to himself of thinking, Koeher realized that it was probably time to leave the mines with the clay that he had, and quickly and quietly as well. He crept down the pitch-dark passage, the only fear he had at the moment being what would happen to him when the shroud of the darkness failed to hide him at the end... Slowly but surely he made his way back to the entrance, where he heard more and more harsh noises and yelling as he got closer, but no response came to the yelling as a scream in pain or for help.
To his absolute horror, Koeher knew what was going on. There was a man, bound up and with a bag over his head being beaten senseless by two gigantic men... if they even were men anyway. The Pycon could only watch as the poor man was meeting what would evidently be his fate. The man who was yelling, the leader, was wearing a mask and dark clothing. In fact, all of them were masked, and was just telling the two men to bring the man in from of him and take the bag off.
The time comes once in a while that a Pycon needs to feed. In order to survive, a Pycon needs to eat clay. What could be a better food store than the local clay mines?
Koeher was running low in his store of clay in his home barrel, so he'd have to go to the mines to be able to eat again. He'd eat there and carry back as much clay as he could carry. He had not done anything in the day, having rested from his encounter the day before and lazed around, so it was time that he did something.
At this time, even the night life was still. The whole city asleep; the stillness is never peaceful in Sunberth, but only unnerving...
A short walk outside the city to the clay mines was not a grueling pain, but instead quite refreshing for Koeher. He didn't immerse himself in his surroundings, blissfully unaware while walking through the short expanse of countryside. As he neared the mines he wondered how dark they could possibly be inside, and if he could actually see the clay that he needed. Though he takes comfort while hiding in the shadows, total darkness in the complete stillness of this witching hour would probably drive him mad.
As he walked towards the mines, he noticed that the entrance was lit, along with the inside. The chamber in which the miners would rest was fully lit with lanterns, the passageway partially lit with torches by someone who was probably there before Koeher.
He stepped into the silent mine and walked down the passage, when he began digging out clay with the end of his py-pole. He nibbled slowly on a medium-sized chunk of clay, about a third of his size, and was satisfied for about the next week or so for eating. With the clay that he brought with him, he wouldn't have to return for the next two weeks at least when he ran out of clay. As he dug the clay, he felt wind coming from deep within the tunnels of the mine, and he felt his insignificance compared to the vastness of its depths.
Suddenly, he heard shouting, as if someone was barking orders at someone, then... footsteps, the patter of running feet. Koeher didn't trust the sound of these night people at all. They seemed far down the passage, so he had enough time to think on a way to hide... The hole that he had dug out was a small crevice, and he could sit in it and not be noticed in the dim light as long as he was still and nobody looked directly at him for more than a moment. He took off his helmet and stuck it in the soft clay furthest in the crevice, then slid in afterwards. He did not match the color of this clay exactly, but if he morphed himself to the form of the wall, he would be difficult to spot. The sprinter came by, with a sort of strange fan, running to the end of the passageway for some reason. After a while, Koeher had come to his senses and realized that something was definitely going on. The man came back down the passageway, fanning out every torch as he went in a kind of ridiculous manner. Koeher was frightened as he heard screaming and then dead silence near the entrance to the mine, where the runner was headed.
After a minute to himself of thinking, Koeher realized that it was probably time to leave the mines with the clay that he had, and quickly and quietly as well. He crept down the pitch-dark passage, the only fear he had at the moment being what would happen to him when the shroud of the darkness failed to hide him at the end... Slowly but surely he made his way back to the entrance, where he heard more and more harsh noises and yelling as he got closer, but no response came to the yelling as a scream in pain or for help.
To his absolute horror, Koeher knew what was going on. There was a man, bound up and with a bag over his head being beaten senseless by two gigantic men... if they even were men anyway. The Pycon could only watch as the poor man was meeting what would evidently be his fate. The man who was yelling, the leader, was wearing a mask and dark clothing. In fact, all of them were masked, and was just telling the two men to bring the man in from of him and take the bag off.
