![]() ![]() You know the noise? It's so loud that most folks go deaf in a year. Which is great and all… but it's all done on the backs of grunts. They also grow tons of food, make textiles, and so on. “They’ve got huge factories for building all sorts of technology with assembly lines to create all those huge buildings, vehicles, and other devices you see in the city. ![]() “Yes, Mudslide, sure it’s not the official name. I used to work in Mudslide.” Sawyer holds up a hand to stall Ash’s question. “Look… Life sucks pretty much everywhere. You can’t take anything too seriously.” Sawyer sighs and rubs their stubble-dappled chin. The vertical pupil begins to widen slightly as they become adjusted to the dim light in the cave. The humor drains from Sawyer’s golden eyes. How can you be so cavalier about all.” He gestures around. Lazily, Sawyer leans back putting their feet up on a nearby rock.Īsh’s serious face does not share Sawyer’s light-hearted attitude. It makes the perfect bait for what we need.” The demicats find the hatchlings of these draklings super tasty. I swear a dragon had a bad dream and sent it out into the Wild. You know those magic-eating tunnelers with triple jaws, one reaching out after another. “Nearly had a platoon of draklings on us. “Once, I traveled with one of those chatty Masques,” they continue. With them around, I can ride under the radar and get what I need done without attracting tunnelers, storm-eaters, coybears, and other creatures who want to eat my magic, or are attracted to it.” “The Terrible Twins are Nulls,” they explain. Sawyer’s light laughter belies the seriousness of the situation. “Stars, Sawyer! I hate it when you do that!” From across the cave, Teresa’s eyes shoot daggers at Sawyer. As Sawyer’s lightly furred talons close around Travis’ arm, he flinches and swears under his breath. With a sudden movement, the predator-touched lashes out towards Travis with a hand glowing with electrical power. “Oie, Travis, come ‘ere.” Travis moves over towards Sawyer. “Nah…” They raise their voice just slightly. “They don’t use magic, do they?” he asks as an aside to Sawyer. Ash’s eyes follow the twins as they do their work. ![]() He glances over towards the cave mouth, where a pair of young humans, Travis and Teresa, prepare what looks like a trap and camouflage netting to cover the cave mouth. That only attracts every blasted magic-eating creature outside the six cities.”Īsh grumbles but pulls up his pant leg to wrap his calf with the medical gauze. We need to wrap this up before your blood attracts more critters,” Sawyer snorts, as they direct a flashlight on the back of Ash’s leg. Before the crystal rings on his fingers could begin to glow, Sawyer roughly smacks his hands away and thrusts a first aid kit at him. On instinct, he puts his hands on either side of the wound to magically shine some light. “Shit,” Ash murmurs barely above a whisper. He pauses for a moment to inspect a gash in the back of his calf. Take a few minutes… catch your breath.”Īsh settles against the rough rock and tries to control his breathing. They’re what happens when wild magic settles in on a canine and a bear.”Īsh brushes a hand across his face in an attempt to wipe away the grime of the panicked run. Blood drips from one of them, probably from swiping them across the mask of one of the pursuing creatures. Their hand is remarkable the fingernails are long, black, and pointed. “Those are coybears.” Sawyer gestures with one hand towards the exit. Their lean face is full of dangerous angles. Sawyer is a Wyldling, a unique being that occurs when the wild magic melds animal and human. The mischievous grin that crosses their scruffy face belies the very real danger that surrounds them. Sawyer leads Ash and the others into a cave that barely fits four grown adults. Sawyer’s relaxed attitude acted as a sharp contrast to Ash’s panic. New to the Wilds, Ash does not recognize the animals’ long snouts and the mask of dark fur across their eyes, and that lack of knowledge added to his fear. They had caught the scent of the team shortly after slipping through the dragon’s barrier. A pack of gigantic, barrel-chested creatures with a mask of dark fur across the eyes was hunting the group. Just a few moments ago, the group had been running for their lives. Sawyer speaks quietly to avoid drawing unwanted attention. ![]()
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