grass.
Another stood on four legs, crouched defensively like a ferret or a cat ready to spring, as its forked tail lashed through the grass flattened by its approach. Its legs gathered beneath it like a coil ready to spring, its gleaming eyes focused on Vivienne, shining mirror bright in the half-light.
Whether it was covered in fur or sand paper, Vivienne couldn’t tell, but it was striped in black and the same green-ish brown as the last creature, mottled so that it nearly turned invisible in the grass. Its large, flat head bobbed back and forth as it gauged the distance between itself and Vivienne, its jagged, ill-fitting shark-like teeth gleaming from its rounded jaws. After a tense moment, it too decided the situation wasn’t worth it, and it growled a final warning before it turned and scampered into the grass like a fleeing weasel.
It was the third creature that captured Vivienne’s attention the most, though. It stood on two legs, at least four feet tall at the shoulders, with a thin, swan-like, but muscled neck and a wedge-like head. The closest thing Vivienne could think to compare it to was some sort of raptor, but even that didn’t fit. It stared at her with four irate but curious eyes, and it impatiently fidgeted with four arms, each of them with claws fit to skewer a small child.
It was covered in sharp, quill-like feathers, and its tail fanned open like a peacock’s as it took a slow step towards the crater, only to pause once more. Its jaws opened as it let out a serious of bark-like noises, like a dog that had been crossed with a screeching bird. It turned its head to look over its shoulder, and it’s jaws further parted into quarters as it shrieked into the trees.
Finally, Vivienne scrambled to her feet, readying herself to run, as she could only imagine that it was calling its pack. But what came out of the towering, curling trees was a group of…men.
Vivienne tried to make sense of the unexpectedly normal sight, but she put that process on hold once she realized that the half-dozen men were armed and walking right towards her.
One of them paused only long enough to pat the raptor-creature companionably on the shoulder, but Vivienne didn’t wait to see anything else. She turned and climbed quickly out of the crater, and then she took off at a sprint, the tall grass flattening under her feet and rustling around her.
One of the men whistled sharply, and Vivienne could hear heavy footsteps quickly catching up to her. Within only a few dozen yards, the raptor-creature caught up to her and then passed her, and Vivienne ground a halt as it cut her off, lest she go charging straight into its claws.
She turned around as the half dozen men advanced on her, and her gaze darted around quickly as she tried to find a stick or even just a particularly spiky flower, but the beast brushed up against her back. Its feathers rustled threateningly as it peered around her, its jaws quartering once more as it growled at her. Vivienne fell very still, very quickly.
The men approached her, forming a semi-circle in front of her while the beast remained at her back, boxing her in.
One man towards the outside of the semi-circle took a step forward, but he quickly stepped back into place when the man at the center, apparently in charge, shouted something at him.
Even in the middle of a foreign environment, with no idea of what was going on, Vivienne couldn’t help but notice how utterly gorgeous he was. He was tall and broad, sculpted like all of the best athletic models. His skin was like bronze, and he had waves of golden hair swept back, away from his face, which had to have been hand crafted by some sort of deity.
He watched her with shrewd, steel grey eyes, his expression caught somewhere between curiosity and disdain, mixed with a fair amount of irritation.
The man who seemed to be in charge stepped towards her slowly, saying something in a language
Another stood on four legs, crouched defensively like a ferret or a cat ready to spring, as its forked tail lashed through the grass flattened by its approach. Its legs gathered beneath it like a coil ready to spring, its gleaming eyes focused on Vivienne, shining mirror bright in the half-light.
Whether it was covered in fur or sand paper, Vivienne couldn’t tell, but it was striped in black and the same green-ish brown as the last creature, mottled so that it nearly turned invisible in the grass. Its large, flat head bobbed back and forth as it gauged the distance between itself and Vivienne, its jagged, ill-fitting shark-like teeth gleaming from its rounded jaws. After a tense moment, it too decided the situation wasn’t worth it, and it growled a final warning before it turned and scampered into the grass like a fleeing weasel.
It was the third creature that captured Vivienne’s attention the most, though. It stood on two legs, at least four feet tall at the shoulders, with a thin, swan-like, but muscled neck and a wedge-like head. The closest thing Vivienne could think to compare it to was some sort of raptor, but even that didn’t fit. It stared at her with four irate but curious eyes, and it impatiently fidgeted with four arms, each of them with claws fit to skewer a small child.
It was covered in sharp, quill-like feathers, and its tail fanned open like a peacock’s as it took a slow step towards the crater, only to pause once more. Its jaws opened as it let out a serious of bark-like noises, like a dog that had been crossed with a screeching bird. It turned its head to look over its shoulder, and it’s jaws further parted into quarters as it shrieked into the trees.
Finally, Vivienne scrambled to her feet, readying herself to run, as she could only imagine that it was calling its pack. But what came out of the towering, curling trees was a group of…men.
Vivienne tried to make sense of the unexpectedly normal sight, but she put that process on hold once she realized that the half-dozen men were armed and walking right towards her.
One of them paused only long enough to pat the raptor-creature companionably on the shoulder, but Vivienne didn’t wait to see anything else. She turned and climbed quickly out of the crater, and then she took off at a sprint, the tall grass flattening under her feet and rustling around her.
One of the men whistled sharply, and Vivienne could hear heavy footsteps quickly catching up to her. Within only a few dozen yards, the raptor-creature caught up to her and then passed her, and Vivienne ground a halt as it cut her off, lest she go charging straight into its claws.
She turned around as the half dozen men advanced on her, and her gaze darted around quickly as she tried to find a stick or even just a particularly spiky flower, but the beast brushed up against her back. Its feathers rustled threateningly as it peered around her, its jaws quartering once more as it growled at her. Vivienne fell very still, very quickly.
The men approached her, forming a semi-circle in front of her while the beast remained at her back, boxing her in.
One man towards the outside of the semi-circle took a step forward, but he quickly stepped back into place when the man at the center, apparently in charge, shouted something at him.
Even in the middle of a foreign environment, with no idea of what was going on, Vivienne couldn’t help but notice how utterly gorgeous he was. He was tall and broad, sculpted like all of the best athletic models. His skin was like bronze, and he had waves of golden hair swept back, away from his face, which had to have been hand crafted by some sort of deity.
He watched her with shrewd, steel grey eyes, his expression caught somewhere between curiosity and disdain, mixed with a fair amount of irritation.
The man who seemed to be in charge stepped towards her slowly, saying something in a language
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