Sammy
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"You're joking, right?"The young girl laid one pale hand on the equine's mane as he stomped a hoof, looking perplexed as he shot her a glance. In his mind, she was being foolish. A little noise was nothing to be scared of. But perhaps it was something else that frightened her. The unknown? Or perhaps the giant, dark tunnel that loomed before them, leading into the unknown caverns. Ghost was sure that humans feared everything from his time spent with Sammy. But for all her faults, he was very fond of the girl. He nudged her with his head softly, and she stumbled forward reluctantly.
I never joke, his thoughts drifted towards her, and she glanced uncertainly at him. The soft sound of approaching footsteps signaled the return of Ki'Ara, who had gone off to scout the area reluctantly. She was loath to leave Ghost with Sammy, for fear he could not protect her sufficiently. In her primitive mind, horse was food. Horse did not equal protection. Horse was insufficient guardian and horse should be eaten. But she tolerated him and did not eat him, because her trainer was fond of Ghost.
Both creatures wore traditional saddle and bridles befitting their kind. Neither complained, and neither cared. Sammy glanced up as Ki'Ara came along, and snuggled close to her trainer, shooting unhappy glances at the blue and white equine on the other side of her. Sammy chuckled, and, her eyes darting towards the tunnel, she took a deep breath as she stroked Ki'Ara's ruffled feathers.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"All right. If your sure the Akail are down there. But...Won't they tear us to bits too? I thought they were bloodthirsty little things..." She looked nervous as she swung up into Ki'Ara's saddle effortlessly, having done it many times before. Ghost snorted, pawing the ground as he began forward through the dark tunnels.
Many travelers come down here nowadays. Akail would not attack individually. However, I am sure they would in a group. And yes, they are bloodthirsty. We will find one, and we will capture it, I have no doubt. Though we will most likely receive a few scratches for our troubles. And I have a feeling we will also run into other travelers down here, most likely for the same reason. Akail are all the rage at the moment.
He snorted with amusement, tossing his head as he did so, and picked up the pace, gliding effortlessly through the dark tunnels to where he knew the caverns would be. Ghost had a sixth sense, it seemed. He saw things before they happened, and he knew about things that weren't there. He had once said he could communicate with spirits, but said no more on the matter since. Sammy did not pry, or push him to explain. It was not in her nature.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Ki'Ara walked along at a more sedate pace, but kept the large beast in sight with her sharp eyes. Sammy sat atop the large reptile, her hands holding tightly to the reins, and feet perched firmly in the stirrups. It was getting a bit lighter as they went, oddly, and Sammy found herself staring at the ruins of a crystal city. Her eyes were wide as small speck of sunlight filtered from holes in the top of the cave and bounced across the ruined glass.
There was writing on the walls, in strange symbols she could not decipher. Come, the voice of Ghost drifted back to her. Lets go a bit deeper. We'll never find an Akail so close to a tunnel. They prefer to wait in the deeper parts of the cave. He started forward again, and Ki'Ara obediently followed behind, with Sammy staring about with wide, curious eyes.
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