[quote] "Uhhh... Hello bigger than life firey bear of doom. You, uhh, interrupted my conversation. I mean, not that I think you care about that or anything. You, uhhh, you're just so... fearsome! I mean you just scared him off."[/quote]

The beast's bright tail flicked impatiently, drawing a streak of yellow light in its wake. Its shining eyes stared down at Rain -- [i]through[/i] her -- with a sort of intelligent purpose that should have been impossible for beast or human.

But this was neither.

It leaped to the ground beside her, silent as death; and when it raised its head it was as tall as Rain herself. Those bright eyes examined her, and silently it paced around her -- but there was no indication that it thought of her as prey. No, Rain was not in danger of anything but this god's judging stare.

Finally, it sat down on its haunches in front of her and yawned widely, showing its long teeth and pink tongue. It closed its mouth and stared at her with bored sarcasm. She would [i]do[/i], but it was far from thrilled. A powerful thought entered her head -- not a voice, but a sudden hot knowledge, like something roiling at the heart of a volcano: its name was Ngubrath. It would be pleased if she said its name aloud.

Rigby's voice echoed across the chasm: "Whoooaaaa wooooo!"

A great flap of brown wings emerged out of the forest, and an enormous, three-eyed owl landed softly at the edge of the chasm, clutching Rigby in the long claws of one foot. Rigby was laughing.

"Hey, mechanic-chick! Ya like my new friend? WAH!" He suddenly tumbled onto the ground, tossed like trash by the owl-god.

The owl ruffled, all three of its eyes glancing enviously between the fiery bear-panther and Rain. Compared to Rigby, Rain was a most desirable catch. The owl spread its majestic wings, a threat of a fight.

Ngubrath's attitude toward Rain changed immediately. It grinned with a fangy challenge, and it sidled close to Rain, claiming her and defending her against this new contender.

The owl stared deep into Rain from across the chasm -- and a new thought battled in her mind. This one was cool and quiet, like the hush of a breeze at night: its name was Th'ctu, and she would do best to speak it.

Ngubrath and Th'ctu stared each other down, a standoff to see which of them Rain would choose -- and if she chose instead to run, they would take more violent measures to decide which of them deserved her.

[center][sup]art by [url=http://jubjubjedi.deviantart.com/gallery/]Jacob Atienza[/url][/sup]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/8WTfl9P.jpg[/img][/center]

[quote]Her fingers skillfully shaped the living stone into a familiar shape, one she had used countless times and could recreate from memory. Already, a simple statue of a dog was taking shape under her careful guidance.

“I don’t understand...what’s happening? Are...those things. The ones behind the wall. They’re really gods?” A thoughtful pause followed. “How do we fix it? You can fix it, right?”[/quote]

The singer smiled down at the girl, exhausted and in pain. She spoke in the same fleeting language, the one only Amune would understand. "They are gods, yes. They are the gods that created this world, and the gods that wish to destroy it."

She took Amune's hand between her own thin, cool palms. She seemed as fragile as porcelain. The holes in her arms where the tubes had been were healing before the child's eyes.

"A long time ago, we locked them away from people so their wars couldn't harm us. But the wall has crumbled, and they are returning." Her eyes shone with tears. "I only kept the wall strong, I didn't build it. I don't know how. But we will find a new way to live, won't we? Not in fear." But she was afraid, and she despaired despite her words. The gods had returned, and their wills and their wars would tear the world apart.

She looked across to Grace, and her eyes watched with uncertain fascination as a sculpture took shape out of the rock that had been so strangely removed from the wall of the cavern. She spoke to Grace, but all Grace would hear was a string of flowery syllables that meant nothing. Amune, however, would hear her meaning: "What will you do with it?"

Grace, meanwhile, would feel a familiar power in the rock that she sculpted -- only far more powerful than she had ever known. It was as if the core of the magic she used to create her golems was distant, just out of reach, and watching her closely. She would know, instinctively, that if she welcomed that power closer she might work spells and golems more powerful than she had ever dreamed.

As Grace worked, the entirety of the cave began to feel charged with energy -- as if the walls themselves were watching and judging the trio that took shelter there.

The singer looked up, and around at the cavern, searching but not finding the source of the uncomfortable feeling. She turned her smile to Amune again. "My name is Nor. Please, Amune, let us look after each other."

[quote]"Yes. I'll do it. Just show me the way, and I'll do it." Her former exuberance was gone, replaced with muted despondence. Her ever-present grin was also gone, mouth now a hard line.

She would not enjoy this.[/quote]

Lha-tak's expression never changed. Its eyes stared through her. Its intent was not malicious or evil -- it was logical, calculated survival. There was nothing of emotion or empathy in the god of natural disaster; everything was as it would be, destruction was as necessary as creation, death was as necessary as life. It assured Rose that she would understand, in time. It told her this without words.

She knew, then, that the one that threatened the survival of the god was hiding in a cave behind the Stone, beyond the well and the brush. She knew that the girl was being sheltered by another god -- a stupid god, a weak god, a god that would betray its own and hide underground from the results of its actions. She knew she had nothing to fear from this frightened god. Lha-tak assured her of this, and so it was true.

A roiling, rumbling power grew in Rose's chest and trembled in her stomach. An electric tension raised the hairs on her skin. She felt a kinship with the wind, the clouds, the rain, the thunder. At her fingertips were the hurricanes, the tornadoes, the hail and lightning storms.

She was free to do with this power as she wished -- as long as her task was done.