Once home to the Crystal Cities of the Hunter clans, Craiss Caverns is now a hollow empty shell of its former glory due to a strange misfortune in the past. Man-made tunnels now lead to this place, but tales tell of some never returning. (+3 Defense, +2 Offense)

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Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/01/2015 3:39 PM

ImageImage
[Cecelia and Martin both in human form]

By the eight or ninth nudge, Martin knew that there would be no more ignoring her. With a sigh, Martin opened his eyes and turned over onto his side, not at all surprised to see his older sister's eyes staring at him, bright as moonbeams. He guessed that she hadn't slept a wink since the camp had outed the fire and called it a night, and that had been at least two hours ago. What had she been doing, just laying there? "Are you awake?" Cecelia hissed into his face.

Martin blinked at her. "I am now." He whispered back, a little cross with her for waking him. Cecelia was sweet enough, but had never really been the most considerate. Or patient. Which is why Martin wasn't surprised that whatever she had wanted couldn't have waited until morning. "What is it?"

"I'm not tired. Let's go."

"Go where?" Martin asked, almost wanting to wail. Their camp, consisting of the two of them, the Queen and her companion, Ila, Lian and his companion, Ed, and a multitude of royal guards, had set up their campsite just in the mouth of one of the caverns. Outside, there was dense forest that had been agonizing to travel through on foot, and Martin had been looking forward to the long break from trekking while the Queen collected her samples.

A wicked grin spread across Cecelia's face, and Martin felt his stomach flip.

"Into the caverns."


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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AuroraSky
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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/01/2015 4:32 PM

"Are you out of your mind?" Martin asked, rather bluntly. He pushed himself up in his sleeping bag and craned his head to peek down the caverns, which proved to be even more terrifying and treacherous in the dark. And anywhere that was terrifying and treacherous was nowhere that Martin wanted to be. "Absolutely not." He said firmly.

Beside him, Cecelia pouted her famous pout. "Come on, Martin, it'll be fun. We could play explorers, and travel down and see what's down there." She sat up on her butt now, her hands moving excitedly as she talked. "I bet there's all sorts of beautiful stalagmites," That was a new word she had learned from Queen Aurora, "And maybe we'll even find an underground river!"

"I don't care." Martin said, unimpressed with everything she was saying. Martin knew this game too well; Cecelia's little outings, filled with promises of adventure and buried treasure, always ended up the same: with them running desperately for their lives. And after the long journey they had just completed, Martin was in no mood. "We'll get lost in the dark and whatever's down there will eat us alive. You can count me out." He wiggled back down his sleeping bag and turned back onto his side, away from her.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/02/2015 11:24 AM

Behind him, he could hear Cecelia huff. But let her huff, he told himself. Before they had left, they had promised Mama that they would stay next to the Queen at all times and would behave themselves. He knew that she had already been so worried, letting them come to Craiss, and Martin didn't want to make whatever bad scenarios she had thought in her head true. So let Cecelia be cross with him; by the morning time she would forget about it and they could play.

Martin could hear Cecelia settle back into her sleeping bag, and he sighed with relief. Finally he eyes fluttered closed and he allowed himself to be coaxed into sleep...

When Martin's eyes opened suddenly, for what couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes later, he had known something was wrong. Throwing his body to flip to the other side, he saw what it was. Cecelia was gone. "Cecelia?" Martin whispered loudly, not wanting to wake the others. If they woke up and saw that Cecelia was missing, she would be in so much trouble. Besides, maybe she had just...gone to the bathroom?


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/02/2015 3:58 PM

Martin waited as patiently as he could. And waited. And waited. Once, he could have sworn he saw a shadow right outside the mouth of the cave and had smiled, thinking it had been Cecelia, but then it had disappeared and that had only made him more scared. He sat up, getting the urge to suck his thumb like he usually did, but instead wiggled his way like an inchworm out of his sleeping bag. He had figured that all the noise he was making would have woken the others by now, but with all of the traveling that they had been doing lately, Martin guessed he wasn't that surprised.

Trying to use the moonlight as best as he could, Martin tip toed over the sleeping bodies, terrified that he would step on someone's head and kill them, or hurt them. He had only allowed himself to breathe freely when he was safely on the other side, now deeper in the cavern than he cared to be, standing meekly as he peered down into the immense darkness.

He had a choice to make here. He could either follow his sister into the onyx abyss and hope to find her, or die trying, or he could wake up Queen Aurora and tell her what happened, and deal with his sister's wrath later. But before he had even asked himself that question, he knew what he had to do.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/08/2015 3:23 PM

It might have been an hour, might have been twelve, but have been five minutes, Martin wasn't sure. All he knew was that for quite some time now he had had both of his hands, his belly, and occasionally his cheek as he slid along the cavern wall, taking it inch by inch. When he had started, there had been a few streaks from the moon brilliant enough to partially light his path, but it hadn't taken long until Martin was completely submerged in darkness. His heart was thundering in his chest, his stomach was in knots, and he couldn't remember the last time he had taken a comfortable breath. He was going kill Cecelia.

Continuing forward, painstakingly slow, Martin wondered how far in Cecelia had gone, and how fast. He hadn't been asleep for long, and if she was in the dark too there was no way she could be that far ahead. But then again, Cecelia was the type to just bound into the cavern with little awareness, and for all Martin knew she could have plummeted over the edge of some cavern cliff by now. The thought alone made his eyes burn with tears, and suddenly he missed her very, very much.

He sniffed. "Cece?"


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/08/2015 3:27 PM

He waited, his voice echoing through the underground. Yet, there was no reply. Martin felt even more hopeless than before, and decided that he was going to die in this cavern. And his Mommy and Father would be so devastated, he knew, and they would wonder why on earth Martin had decided to go after Cecelia instead of calling for help. And now, he wasn't sure either. "Cecelia!" Martin yelled a little louder, hoping the echoes would reach her. When again there was no response, he continued on, though an increasing sense of terror was growing in the pits of his bowels now. He was only five years old, for heavens sake, he was no spelunker!

"Cecelia!" Martin shouted, louder this time, forgetting that if there was something else in the caverns with them then surely they had heard him by now. "Cecelia! Cec-"

"Martin?" A voice called back. "Martin, is that you?"

He had almost let go of the cavern wall he was so relieved.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/15/2015 11:36 AM

From out in the distance, Martin could see what looked to be a little glowing light. It bounced along, back and forth, at a rapid pace, and Martin guessed that behind the light must have been Cecelia. But...where had she gotten a light from? "Cecelia, I'm over here!" Martin called, wanting to let go of the side of the ledge and wave his arms at her, but fear and common sense warned him otherwise. How sad it would be, for him to finally find his sister only to plummet down into the earth. "Help me!" He whimpered.

"Hold on, I'm coming." Cecelia said, the light growing bigger and brighter. Cecelia had almost sounded annoyed by him, as if he had been interrupting some grand adventure as opposed to rescuing her. Finally, the light was focused on him, so bright Martin had to shut his eyes and even then he still saw red. "What are you doing?" Cecelia demanded.

Martin squinted his eyes open just a bit, and could see that his sister was standing next to him, her hands now on her hips. He looked down to see...there was no ledge. He had been going down a simple, wide tunnel for quite a while now. "I thought..." His voice trailed off in surprise.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/17/2015 2:35 PM

Cecelia didn't wait for him to finish the thought. Instead she continued, "And why don't you have a flashlight, you dummy? You came all the way down here without a flashlight?" She demanded.

Martin stepped backwards off the cavern wall, gingerly still as though it still might collapse under him. "I thought you came down here without a flashlight too, so I didn't think I needed one!" Martin defended, wiping his nose. "Where did you even get a flashlight from?"

Cecelia shrugged, turning away from him and continuing back down from whence she came. "I took it from someone's backpack." She called behind her, a little quieter now. It had taken Martin a second to process what it was that she had just said, but when it had he started sprinting after her. "You stole?" Martin screeched at her in shock.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/22/2015 4:18 PM

Cecelia only huffed in response as Martin struggled to catch up her, still weary of the darkness not so far out of reach. His cape fluttered behind him, getting entangled between his legs as he jogged. By the time Martin had finally joined Cecelia's side and had somewhat matched her pace, he was panting. "Mommy says we're not supposed to steal." He said accusingly. The rules were the rules, no matter how grateful he was for that flashlight right now.

"Well Mommy's not here." Cecelia said plainly, and Martin could only stare at her, dumbfounded. He wasn't sure why he was constantly surprised when Cecelia broke the rules; when it came to getting what she wanted, Cecelia seldom let anything stand in her way. "Are you going to tell on me when we go back home?" She asked, shining the flashlight into his face again, like an interrogation.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/22/2015 4:21 PM

They both knew that he wouldn't, yet Martin still found himself stammering, "W-What if I am?"

Cecelia paused for a second, then grinned in that way that always scared him. Before he could see what was happening, the light was gone and Martin was once again submerged into the darkness. He almost screamed. "Cece?" He asked, his voice a shrill whisper.

"Promise you won't tell Mom I snuck away," The voice responded, low in cruelty. "Or I'm going to leave you here in the dark."

"You can't do that!" Martin wailed, feeling that familiar push in his lower region that usually meant he needed to pee. "You can't leave me out here, Cecelia, you can't." He could feel angry tears brim his eyes. He knew she wouldn't, he knew that, but even the thought...


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/31/2015 2:52 PM

"Then promise." Cecelia said, her voice sounding so cold to poor little Martin's ears. He could feel frustrated tears welling up in his eyes, and he wiped them away so hard with his sleeve he might have scratched his eyeball right out. Cecelia could be so mean sometimes, and right now Martin swore that he hated her (as much as Martin could really hate anyone). He sniffed a few times. "I won't tell." He finally yielded, though in a voice too quiet for Cecelia.

"What?" She demanded. Martin wanted to kick her. "I SAID," He started, shouting. "I WON't tell anyone, okay?"
But Cecelia was still not satisfied. "I want you to promise."

"I...promise." He couldn't even believe the words that had been coming out of his mouth; now if his mother had asked if they had snuck away he would have to tell her no, and that was a lie. A straight lie.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/31/2015 2:56 PM

Although Martin was slowly tearing apart inside, Cecelia seemed to be pleased with his word. The light flickered back on so Martin could see Cecelia's triumphant expression, and he looked down at his shoes. All he wanted to do was curl up in his sleeping bag with the rest of the group; he was still so very tired. And yet, here he was, trapped on another excursion with his sister. "Come on!" Cecelia said brightly. "Let's go down into the caverns. I want to see if we can find any of those cool rocks on the ceiling the Queen was talking about."

"Stalactites." Martin corrected her quietly, wiping his noise again. He peered down the cavern she had intended for them to travel fearfully. What if one of them fell on them and cut him in half? "What if we get lost?"


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/31/2015 2:59 PM

"We won't." Came Cecelia's swift reply, and Martin could tell she hadn't really considered the fact at all. "How do you know?" Martin asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously. Getting lost in the caverns forever? That would be terrible. After all, the batteries in Cecelia's flashlight would only last so long and it seemed like these tunnels stretched along forever...Cecelia's hand found Martin's and she gave him a squeeze that was meant to be reassuring. "I just do."

That explanation was, of course, by no means satisfying, but it was the only one Cecelia would provide. And Martin was too scared to go back by himself. Cecelia went to let go of his hand, but instead Martin held onto hers tightly, insisting that if they were to do this then she would have to hold onto him like they had been handcuffed together.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/31/2015 3:06 PM

They began walking, hand in hand. Martin could feel the bottoms of his feet starting the ache again, as they had when they had been halfway through their journey to Craiss, and thinking about all of that walking just made his feet hurt even worse. He looked up at his sister, who didn't seem to have one lick of tiredness in her. Her eyes were bright and wide like the moon, she had a determined grin on her face, and she was leading them at a pace that Martin thought might kill him. "Aren't you tired?" He asked.

"No." Cecelia said, staring at him as if he had asked 'does a cow have four heads?' "Why would I be tired? We have a whole adventure ahead of us!" She regarded him, an annoyed look creeping onto her face. "...Why? Are you tired?"

"N-No. No. Of course not." He lied.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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Re: Drax Isn't for Real

Postby AuroraSky » 07/31/2015 3:09 PM

But he was tired, oh how he was tired. Martin was so tired he thought he would just fall asleep while they were walking. He had even closed his eyes for a few seconds, but that had made him walk slower so he had had to wake himself up. They had been walking in silence for a while now, which was only making it worse. Martin needed a distraction. "You know, I read about the caverns before we came." He offered.

Cecelia didn't have anything to say to that. She didn't like to read, could never sit still long enough to do it. But it was all Martin could think of to talk about it. "There are a bunch of interesting things I read that I never knew before." He tried again.

"Oh, really?" She finally said, though her voice was thick with boredom of the subject.


I know you
I walked wi
th you once upon a dream
I k
now you
That look in y
our eyes is so familiar,

a gleam...




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