Re: The Battle Majestic (Round 1 - Bubble Universe)
01-26-2010, 09:03 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Wolf was not foolish; he made only one attempt at clearing the iron bars Sen had so casually leapt over before finding an alternative entry. He could smell the greenery, his tail waving about as the Tender called out to him again. As usual, its jabbering was incomprehensible to Wolf, but he supposed it was asking him to join Sen in the park.
Wolf circumnavigated the perimeter, stiffening as he turned a corner. The main gates to the park were a short dash down a footpath, but from that region came the acrid, fear-inducing scent of a burnt-out tree. Stalking along more cautiously now, alert for the presence of whoever had started the fire (from the stink, Wolf reckoned it had been extinguished sharply instead of burning out itself), Wolf poked his nose around the park gates to see what was going on. One formerly stately walnut tree sported a nasty scorch mark. The grass leading into the park was similarly black and ashen, crumbling to fine dust beneath even Wolf's light footfalls.
The park took up approximately two city blocks, enclosed by the tall fence on both sides. To Wolf's left was a wooded, rather over-grown looking region. Ahead, a centrepiece to the green space, was another fountain. Right, there were several trees also, but the layout was more open; with garden beds and flowers taking precedence. Sen stood, head hanging, gazing at a disturbed patch of soil. He didn't appear to have moved far from where he'd landed after he jumped the fence.
Wolf greeted Sen with a quiet growl-cough. The Tender huffed back, and walked past Wolf to get a drink. A little while after what Wolf felt was more than long enough for anyone to quench their thirst, the green head popped up again and bobbed over to take a good look at Wolf. Sen started after a sniff, crests rising and lips parted in a worryingly toothy grimace. Wolf had a feeling he knew why the Tender was reacting as such, and his quiet suspicions were confirmed when the beast produced a series of throaty crackles and clicks and crunchy pops not unlike the sound of fire.
This fire, however, sounded questioning. Wolf pointed out the charred trees and blackened grass on the other side of the park with his snout and eyes, where Alex and John had fought. The Tender did not take kindly to this discovery, inhaling through its fishbone teeth in a raspy rattle of obvious distress. Its legs seemed to be moving of their own accord, pacing back and forth, back and forth, beneath a pensively motionless head. Wolf glanced up at his companion, but the black eyes were inscrutable. Sen's anxiety was leaching into the flora around him, though, and Wolf was suddenly aware of it. The grass, despite already being abnormally thick and unruly for a public park, was growing so fast Wolf felt it pushing at his paws in its inexorable upward march. The lawn (really, it was so overgrown it probably qualified as a meadow before Sen had even started panicking into it) was changing in composition; soft, tender shoots replaced by rough, harsh tussock. A briar rose, devoid of flower, was springing up through the meadow with speed enough to actually catch Wolf by surprise. He leapt out of the wild lawn and stood on the concrete lip of the fountain, watching Sen.
The green beast seemed to reach a decision, and dashed back to where he'd been standing vigil before, now pacing around that spot feverishly. It was only in this patch that plants weren't springing up spontaneously - meanwhile the grass was getting so tall Wolf was struggling to see over it.
Now isolated in a sea of grass, Sen calmed down a little, though he still danced around the see-
The soil split, then cracked apart as a neon-green shoot burst from the ground. It was thicker than Sen's thumb, and was already budding. The Tender chirped with relief, before realising the World Tree was now probably lacking in sunlight. Swiftly attempting to rectify the situation, Sen wasted no time devouring the light-obstructing grass around him.
Meanwhile, a disembodied glove with nothing to fill it perched atop an iron fleur-de-lys. It wasn't sure where the Tender had got to in all that grass, but otherwise there wasn't much it had missed.
Wolf was not foolish; he made only one attempt at clearing the iron bars Sen had so casually leapt over before finding an alternative entry. He could smell the greenery, his tail waving about as the Tender called out to him again. As usual, its jabbering was incomprehensible to Wolf, but he supposed it was asking him to join Sen in the park.
Wolf circumnavigated the perimeter, stiffening as he turned a corner. The main gates to the park were a short dash down a footpath, but from that region came the acrid, fear-inducing scent of a burnt-out tree. Stalking along more cautiously now, alert for the presence of whoever had started the fire (from the stink, Wolf reckoned it had been extinguished sharply instead of burning out itself), Wolf poked his nose around the park gates to see what was going on. One formerly stately walnut tree sported a nasty scorch mark. The grass leading into the park was similarly black and ashen, crumbling to fine dust beneath even Wolf's light footfalls.
The park took up approximately two city blocks, enclosed by the tall fence on both sides. To Wolf's left was a wooded, rather over-grown looking region. Ahead, a centrepiece to the green space, was another fountain. Right, there were several trees also, but the layout was more open; with garden beds and flowers taking precedence. Sen stood, head hanging, gazing at a disturbed patch of soil. He didn't appear to have moved far from where he'd landed after he jumped the fence.
Wolf greeted Sen with a quiet growl-cough. The Tender huffed back, and walked past Wolf to get a drink. A little while after what Wolf felt was more than long enough for anyone to quench their thirst, the green head popped up again and bobbed over to take a good look at Wolf. Sen started after a sniff, crests rising and lips parted in a worryingly toothy grimace. Wolf had a feeling he knew why the Tender was reacting as such, and his quiet suspicions were confirmed when the beast produced a series of throaty crackles and clicks and crunchy pops not unlike the sound of fire.
This fire, however, sounded questioning. Wolf pointed out the charred trees and blackened grass on the other side of the park with his snout and eyes, where Alex and John had fought. The Tender did not take kindly to this discovery, inhaling through its fishbone teeth in a raspy rattle of obvious distress. Its legs seemed to be moving of their own accord, pacing back and forth, back and forth, beneath a pensively motionless head. Wolf glanced up at his companion, but the black eyes were inscrutable. Sen's anxiety was leaching into the flora around him, though, and Wolf was suddenly aware of it. The grass, despite already being abnormally thick and unruly for a public park, was growing so fast Wolf felt it pushing at his paws in its inexorable upward march. The lawn (really, it was so overgrown it probably qualified as a meadow before Sen had even started panicking into it) was changing in composition; soft, tender shoots replaced by rough, harsh tussock. A briar rose, devoid of flower, was springing up through the meadow with speed enough to actually catch Wolf by surprise. He leapt out of the wild lawn and stood on the concrete lip of the fountain, watching Sen.
The green beast seemed to reach a decision, and dashed back to where he'd been standing vigil before, now pacing around that spot feverishly. It was only in this patch that plants weren't springing up spontaneously - meanwhile the grass was getting so tall Wolf was struggling to see over it.
Now isolated in a sea of grass, Sen calmed down a little, though he still danced around the see-
The soil split, then cracked apart as a neon-green shoot burst from the ground. It was thicker than Sen's thumb, and was already budding. The Tender chirped with relief, before realising the World Tree was now probably lacking in sunlight. Swiftly attempting to rectify the situation, Sen wasted no time devouring the light-obstructing grass around him.
Meanwhile, a disembodied glove with nothing to fill it perched atop an iron fleur-de-lys. It wasn't sure where the Tender had got to in all that grass, but otherwise there wasn't much it had missed.
Spoiler
peace to the unsung peace to the martyrs | i'm johnny rotten appleseed
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow