[center][img=http://i.imgur.com/QQbEM8x.gif][/center]

[i]cccrrrrrreeeeeeaaaaaaakkkkk.....[/i]

Arin gasped. His fist remained on the tree, his eyes as wide as saucers. Even though he was expecting some type of reaction from the tree, he was still startled at the creaking sound. A small glisten of hope lingered in the boy's eyes as he awaited for some type of response from the tree, although he wasn't sure what to expect. Slowly he lowered his fist from the trunk, his knuckles already scarped and red from the hard bark. 

[i]whirrwhirrwhirr TOCK CLACK whirrrrrr CLACK CLINK whirrrrrrr whirrwhirrwhirr[/i]

The young man jumped in surprise and fell backwards at the sudden mechanical mayhem that seemed to be going on within the tree. He crawled on his back, away from the tree at an attempt to escape the noise. A pointless effort. Arin's breathing once again became rapid, he stopped crawling and instead curled up on the ground, covering his ears with his hands as the tree roared incessantly. The sight of the leaves and branches moving about violently, along with the sound of the lantern crashing into the floor painted a nightmarish image. The whole scene was chaotic. 

Arin was unable to witness the Lantern hit the floor, as his eyes were closed shut and his hands remained on his ears. Never had the young man been so far out of his comfort zone, nor had he ever felt so afraid. It was also his first time outside of Mayloom. Far too many things were occurring at once. His resiliency kept him from fainting even though he wanted badly to wake up from a dream. 

[i]"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"[/i] 

[i]WHIRRRRRRIRRRRRRRIRRRRIRRRRRRRIRRRRR
CLATTERCLACKCLICKHISSSSSSSSSSS[/i]

The violent noises from within the tree seemed to have hit it's peak, and suddenly everything was quiet. Arin's eyes opened, slowly his hands slid off of his ears. The sound of silence was almost just as unbearable. It was less brighter than when he had awoken, at least it felt like it was. He sat up, eyes shooting around the area as he searched for the source of light. 

[quote=Anise]"What... is this?"[/quote]

Arin laid his eyes on the princess, then the lantern in her hands. It was just bright enough to illuminate them all, but not the surrounding forest. During the eerie silence, Arin managed to scramble to his feet and took a moment to collect his bearings. Placing his hands on his knees, he bent over, trying to calm himself by breathing in and out slowly. As he did so, the smell of rotten flesh suddenly plagued his nostrils, causing his face to scrunch up in distaste. Eventually, his heartbeat slowed and after a moment his mind was no longer racing, however the anxious feeling still remained. After one final uneasy sigh, the young man brushed himself off and quickly approached the princess holding the lantern. 

He stopped a few feet away from her, and noticed that the lantern had been cracked. This only teased his anxiety. He wasn't particularly afraid of the dark, but right now wasn't the best moment to be without light. Arin gently placed his hands on the lantern as well. "May I see it?" He asked in an agitated tone. He was drawn to the light, just as he had been drawn to the tree's metallic noises. He wanted to protect their only source of luminescence. Carefully the young man took a moment to admire the lantern before him, caressing it curiously with his hand. The thimble on his index finger grew warm as his hand remained on the metal. 

After the brief silence, suddenly a hissing noise could be heard from within the darkness. Arin spun around, gripping the lantern tightly as the sounds of movement surrounded the group. Suddenly, the metal platform below them began to groan and shake, causing the girl that had been covered yellow goo to lose her balance. Arin hesitated to help her up, and instead kept his eyes trained on the darkness, searching for the source of movement. He felt eyes watching him. 

"I can hear you," he said aloud towards the darkness "We can all hear you." Arin paused for a moment, awaiting some type of response but received nothing in return. "I [i]know[/i] you're over there!" he began to shout, "Did you bring us here?!" 

More silence. Anxious, Arin turned around to face the others, the lantern in his hands illuminated all of their faces. Briefly he made eye contact with Anise, Hania and Randold before shifting his eyes towards the path that led through the tree's. He was conflicted on what to do next. Venturing deep into the forest was as bad an idea as sitting on the platform. Arin turned his attention back to the lantern, his eyes locked on the blue egg as he tried to think of some type of solution. 

"What are we doing here," he muttered