Curiosity

Curiosity
Emmeline had grown-up listening to the tales her grandmother told her. The old Oakl was superstitious, and always warned Emmeline to steer clear of the Fissures. Bad things happened there, the old oakl claimed, and many a youngling wandered in were never seen again because Famine fed on their flesh. Ravenous Unus' aside, for the most part her granny's tales stuck in her head, but only partly so. Emmeline was not one to believe in ghosts or the supernatural. No, in her eyes there was a logical explanation.

She was not going to let any boogey-oakls or chaos steeds stop her from exploring. She clasped her lamps loop between her teeth, raising it up high. It only illuminated a small area around the oakl. Shadows flickered and danced about her early, but Emmeline continued on her way, determined to make her way to the very place her granny had long warned her away from.

She wanted to go, if only to prove to herself that there was nothing to be afraid of. That the old oakl tales were just that. She picked her was carefully, the grass of the field becoming more and more sparse the closer to her destination she went. The temperature grew steadily until it was uncomfortably hot. Still she did not stop. The little oakl trudged on until st came to a narrow path, her eyes widening at the sight of the lava flow on either side.

She made her way across it carefully, each hoof placed with great care. Her heart thrummed in her chest, and seemed to increase in tempo until she made it to the other side, nearly collapsing in relief.

An uneasy feeling seemed to surround her, but she chalked it over to fear of the unknown. Even she could admit that it was an ominous and scary place. Faintly in the distance she could see the ruined facade of parthian columns and resolutely made her way towards the structure, guessing it would be the entrance to the catacombs below. Navigation around the lava pits drew the trip out, but finally she reached the building's soot covered steps. Her hooves clacked across them, it seemed to echo loudly to her large ears, leaving her shifting uncomfortably. While she did not believe in the mythic creatures that her granny claimed to live here, that did not mean she wanted to meet the actual creatures that called this place home. The very thought left her feeling uneasy. She stopped, shifting from hoof to hoof, and lifted her lantern high taking one last long look around before taking the steps down into the black abyss below. Her lantern lit the walls fitfully, barely making any headway in the overwhelming darkness.

She had gone some way before she heard it. A steady, slow staccato sound that made her heart race. She sat down her lantern, turning around swiftly, and was greeted by glowing red eyes, and the vague hints of purple hide. Emmeline screamed, a loud high pitched sound before her world went mercifully black.

Not that Famine was known for her mercy...