Star woke up in someplace dark. It's always dark here, idiot. the voice in her mind wasn't helping. She squinted. She was on a cold stone floor, and she didn't know if anyone was nearby or if she was alone. She would need proper healing before she could escape these dark woods. Perhaps that light by the Creek that day was the last she might see in a while. She had never seen a place so dark- except for the caverns on her homeland mountain and her own father's heart. Perhaps this place would drag her back into her depression state. Or maybe she would give in to the voice in her head, and let it control her. She tried to recall what happened... Fighting, fighting... Dark..
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The caves were a labyrinth from which escaping was rather unlikely, but Bane, after months of lurking through its shadows, knew the paths of it like the back of his.. Paw... The caverns served him as a den, and it served the rest of the pack for many other purposes. Including captivity.
The unlucky one was a Bitch, one that dared trespass the well-marked borders of the Blackfeather Woods pack, the dark brotherhood itself. What a fool. Bane was soon to be named Death Weaver of the brotherhood, Meldresi herself was going to be the one to mark him, and this kind of stuff was what he was going to be marked for. Torture was one of the arts he had to learn to be a full fledged member of the cult, and he would have to do it more than just once. It began today.
Ah, you're awake!
The pale guard said with animosity and a smile crooking his face as he walked out of the shadows into the dim gleam of the bio-luminescent worms that hung from the ceiling in waterdrop-shaped-mucus. Isn't it cozy in here, bitch? I did my best to save you the best room available.
he said with evil irony.
The pale guard chuckled at the young female's innocent question. The exit. Hah! What a fool. There was no escape from the caves, not to her at least. The prisoner was weak and disoriented, and no one aside from MoonBane knew the way out of the place he had chosen as her prison.
But why not play with her for a while?
The exit you say?
the northerner barked with irony, You're leaving so soon?
he said, raising his eyebrows as if he was truly disappointed.
Damn. She really didn't know what was going on. Poor bastard... Don't worry, Child. I'll show you the way out...
the pale guard said as if truly concerned and turned his body halfway 'round to 'show' her the exit. Mental games were just as good as physical pain to the beastly northerner, sucking every single drop of sanity was probably the only thing as good as draining the blood out of them. Bane waited for the prisoner to walk past him, staring at her with a grin in his demonic expression. Let the games begin.
She took a few steps forward after him, waiting for him to lead the way, and glad he was showing her the way out. But perhaps not out of the caves, but out of sanity.
The decision made by the young prisoner wasn't the best to take. The chamber she had been put on was actually very cozy compared to the rest of the cave system. There she had light from the glowworms and a source of fresh water, out there was dark and cold, and you would only find water if you knew your way through.
The pale northerner waited until the girl walked past him, always staring at her, and when she was ahead of him, he disappeared in the darkness, always knowing where to place his paws. Evil laughter echoed in the darkness, but Bane's silver silhouette was nowhere to be seen. Star was alone in the darkness, in the deepest end of the maze that was Mephala's web.
Closely but silently, the pale Northerner followed the sound of the prisoner's loud steps, clashing with the wet surface of the rocks. The white hostage moved forward in the darkness, walking deeper into the darkness with every step she took. "Where did you go?" she barked, and the maddening sound of her voice, echoing through the hallways followed, mocking her. This way...
the man's deep voice whispered from the female's left, and a deep chuckle followed his words. It didn't matter what path he drove her through, they were still far away from any of the entrances, and the blindness with which the young female was obligated to walk wasn't helpful at all. She would wander forever before finding an exit.
The pale guard stayed back, leaving the disoriented prisoner to run by herself. The next phase. Abandonment. The eerie darkness of the caves added to the dread of solitude could be a dangerous mixture for madness, and Bane doubted his prisoner to be a tough one.
The northerner stayed silent, hearing the girl's voice echo around. A mischievous laugh would resound here and there, adding Bane's own evil tough to the recipe.
The pale beast listened with amusement how his prisoner slowly lost it. He stayed back, quiet, motionless, like a stone. You could hear the young girl's mind cracking down to pieces if you stayed quiet, talking to herself. She was going to be an easy one. This way...
Bane allowed himself to whisper. Turning his body halfway 'round, the northerner walked slowly, this time, letting the girl hear his steps splashing in the underground creek. He was leading her, giving her hope with his presence. We're almost there...
his coarse voice echoed, a whisper.
The pale one made sure to stay in the shadows, away from any source of light that would be easily reflected by his pure white coat. But he stayed close to her, hearing the young captive's pulse raise frenetically. She was on the edge of losing it, talking to herself, consumed by desperation. But Bane, he was calm, silent.
Over here...
the ghost kept repeating, but his figure wasn't seen. She was almost there... Almost...
Yes yes we're almost there! The controlled voice said excitedly in her head. I don't like it here, not at all. I'm glad we are leaving these stupid caves. She thought, relieved. Soon she would see light again, and she would go back to the Creek. Esper would fix up her wounds and she'd tell them of her adventure! Everything would be okay, and soon she would be safe and sound....
Soon a faint pale light was there. She was excited, as she thought it was from outside. But no, something was off. There was a slight greenish tint to it, and the sound of her pawsteps still seemed to echo forever instead of very little. Her face twisted into a confused look as she entered another cavern. And realized...
This was where she started.
He had led her nowhere, just back to the dark prison. She snarled and whirled around, but only found the darkness of Mephala's web....