[IC] Whistlehowl Star {always open!}

[Mokley]

From their position, Sunny could only hear the vague sound of a voice echoing up out of the crevice -- but luckily Laphi was there to hear and translate.

Sunny waited a beat, her eyebrows raised while she returned Laphi's gaze. She could see that he was hesitant to move unless someone else took the lead -- of course, he'd never really been given the chance to make his own decisions before, had he? She gave him a soft grin. "Think we should go help?" she asked, encouraging. Sunny looked up to Nyte as well, her smile a little sharper, before she headed through the brush directly for the crack in the ground.

"How'd you get down there?" Sunny knelt at the edge and looked down, her hair hanging in thick locks around her curious face. All she could see was a figure sprawled in the grass far below. ...Wait. Grass? Underground? "Don't worry, just don't move! We'll get you out!" She hopped to her feet and turned to her comrades with a confident smile. "Nyte, Laphi, did you find --"

Sunny never finished her sentence -- an angry tree root had suddenly struck up out of the ground, grabbed her around the ankles and flung her sprawling over the edge and into the dark crevice. The coterie captain hadn't time to realize what was happening before she was plummeting down between walls of stone, wind rushing past her ears, light and warmth fading. She landed hard on top of Aro, knocking the wind out of both of them.

The tree root returned to the soil as quickly and silently as it had come. The trees all around Laphi and Nyte seemed to shift places behind their backs. The forest was watching -- and it wasn't kind.

Sunny groaned in pain and shifted off of Aro. "I'm -- I'm here to -- ow -- rescue you!" she tried, and coughed, peering up at the sunlight high above. "We're okaaay!" she called up to Laphi and Nyte, waving a hand at them.

[LordofthePies]

"Are we?" Aro croaked. She cursed whatever Gods had made this forest. At that moment, she wanted to burn it down. Every inch of the forest. Every tree, blade of grass, or vine would suffer by her hand. Aro had enough of this forest. She just wanted to go home. But, she didn't have a home. Her home was her caravan, which was ripped to shreds. She lost her home, and it was her own fault. Maybe this forest was some sort of karma for what she had done.

"Guess now you have to help me," Aro rolled onto her stomach and slowly pushed herself off the grass, using what little strength she had left to stand.

Laying there wasn't going to do her much if anything the forest would throw more people at her if she stayed. Aro shuffled over to Sunny, giving her a look. She didn't blame her for landing on her, but she still wasn't happy. Aro's body yelled at her for standing. Every part of her being burned or felt like it was ready to fall apart. She didn't listen and put out a hand for her cavern companion. Aro probably wouldn't be able to lift her off the ground, but she'd try. Her mother always told her about hospitality. Guess it was time to put it to use, and maybe the forest would see she wasn't so bad. Although, even if the forest did let up, she would still burn it to the ground.

[Tenma Tendo]

In response to Sunny's question, Laphicet could only tilt his head in confusion. Why was she asking him what he thought? No one ever asked him what he wanted, so it was hard to hide the look of confusion on his face. He soon gave a slow nod, knowing that both Sunny and Nyte would want to help the girl out. He kept a relatively safe distance away from the edge, in hopes that he could be helpful from afar.

Unfortunately the forest had other plans as a tree root mercilessly flung Sunny into the gaping crevice.
"S-Sunny!!" Laphi called out worriedly, ruby eyes wide with thoughts of the worst as he scurried next to Nyte and drop to his knees. Expecting to see the worse, the child poked his head over the edge, only to immediately shrink back and grab onto Nyte's waist, trembling. The bottom was little too dark for his tastes...but Sunny was down there!

Laphicet waited until he heard Sunny's voice before giving another peak down. He could spot two figures at the bottom, with one waving wildly up at them. A rare smile formed on his face as relief washed over him; so long as Sunny was alright, then he would be too. But how would they get the both of them down from there? There were his tarot cards...but he never had the heart to use them on his own accord. The boy looked up at Nyte with faint curiosity.
"...Wh-What should we do?" He questioned. With Sunny not there to show him the right way, Nyte was the next best thing to him.

@Mokley@Jade113@LordofthePies

[Jade113]

Nyte looked down at Laphicet as he heard something Nyte had not. She resisted petting his head, then looked to Sunny, who apparently had the same idea as she had. She moved closer, but immediately froze and reached out to keep Laphicet back as a root grabbed her companion and pulled her down into the hole. The knight took a careful step forward, looking down the dark hole and keeping a gentle grip on Laphicet's shoulder should another root try to take him.

She dropped to one knee carefully at the mouth of the pit, wrapping her arm tight around Laphicet as he gripped her. Sunny called out, thankfully, and Nyte sighed, relieved. She looked to the boy beside her and patted his head once.

"They're alright, child, so let's take things slow. We should try to help from up here. I bet there are some vines or roots we could find around here long and strong enough to act as a rope!"

She gave a hearty thumbs up, despite doubting her own plan immediately. A living forest that seemed intent on killing them... Just another weekday for the knight, but probably rather scary for people who may actually hurt themselves falling.

[Mokley]

Sunny grinned up at the stranger, took the proffered hand and hopped to her feet. "Thanks! I'm Sunny, by the way. Up there are Laphicet and Nyte. We're a vagrant coterie -- currently without a name, but we'll decide on one soon. Are you all right?" Sunny peered through the gloom at Aro's face, which to her seemed twisted in pain and misery. The vagrant offered a comforting smile. "Sorry for dropping in on you. The woods don't seem to like visitors much. Hopefully we're not about to be eaten or something." She laughed, and finally let go of Aro's hand to explore the perimeter of their grassy island while they waited for Laphi and Nyte to rescue them.

After a few moments, Sunny dropped to her knees and craned her head over the edge to peer down into the deep, deep dark. When nothing revealed itself, she sat down, unhooked an oil lantern from her backpack (both of which she'd brought from the walking-house) and lit it with a flint spark. Firelight soon cast a flickering illumination on Sunny's and Aro's faces. Sunny grinned up at Aro and brought the lantern to the edge again.

She looked up, and gasped.

The lantern-light cast a bright starry sky of reflections in the cavern ceiling -- like diamonds gleaming in the rock above.

The nearest wall only barely caught the light of the flame, but Sunny could make out very old finger-paintings of human figures ... and what appeared to be enormous animal-gods towering over them, with lines of sunlight streaming from above, marked by ancient orange paint.

Sunny's foot caught on the edge of something; she looked down to see a weathered stone staircase spiraling down from the grassy island.

"Guys?" she called up to her friends -- to Laphi, who she knew would hear her. "Change of plan. You might want to come down here! This place is really old! I think this is where we're supposed to go!" She spun around, raising the light to Aro's face, and grinned. "There's something we're looking for that might be in this cave -- something with runes, we think. Hope you don't mind waiting a little for that rescue -- why don't you come exploring with us?"

[Tenma Tendo]

Nyte's words and mannerisms seem to calm the boy down as what she was saying made sense. There was no need to rush since neither Sunny nor the stranger appeared to be in any danger.
"B-But what if the f-forest tries to e-eat us too?" He frowned, looking back at the rustling trees doubtfully. While he really wanted to save Sunny, he didn't want to end up like how she did either...

Ultimately, Laphi decided to carry out Nyte's plan, knowing that he could do something about the scary roots if need be. However, just as he was about to place a hand on one of the trees, Sunny's voice made his ears twitch curiously.
"You want us to wh-what...?" He blinked in confusion before looking over to Nyte. questioned. "Sh-She said to go down there, I think..." Laphi recited as he moved back over to the corner, expecting to see nothing but darkness. Fortunately, Laphi was pleasantly surprised with a speck of light at the very bottom, illuminating a small circle around them. If it was just going down, then Laphicet had the perfect card for that!

"N-Nyte, come h-here please." He said quietly, waving his hands around to stress the urgency. Once his armored companion was next to him, he began shuffling through his tarot card, stopping on the Ace of Swords. He held his arms up towards Nyte, motioning that he wanted to be picked up. Once she did so, all that was left was the incantation. "Ace of Swords, of clarity of beginnings, relinquish gravity's hold, on I and...and the Sun." He spoke, hesitating a bit as he wasn't sure how to represent Nyte as a tarot card. The boy then turned back to Nyte, now looking at her helmet expectantly. "Jump. W-We should be able to float down there...j-just don't drop me o-okay?" He said quietly, now clutching tightly onto the other.

@Mokley@Jade113@LordofthePies

[LordofthePies]

Aro groaned as Sunny took her hand. It felt like the girl was going to rip her arm off. "Well, I probably broke something, but I'm alright," Aro looked up at the vines and roots that immediately started holding the hole together. "I've been here long enough to say that the flora won't eat us."

When Sunny lit her lantern, the sight took Aro's breath away. Of all her years of traveling, she never saw anything like this. The gems in the stone were brighter than any star and gleamed brighter than the purest of diamonds. Now that her pain was subsiding, she could feel it. Aro knew this place had some kind of magic. This place must be the source of the forest's odd nature.

Aro snapped out of the trance the cave had put her in. "I'll come with, I don't really have a place to be," she slowly spun around, taking in every sight she could. It was a beautiful place. Its enchanting nature took both her breath and her pain away. Aro felt that she was safe here. That nothing could get to her. That this place would accept her and her sins. Then Aro remembered it was just a place. A cave full of diamonds wouldn't be enough to protect her. Nothing would be enough to save her from herself.

Aro stopped spinning, her past the only thing filling her mind. She frowned at the ground, her body aching with each heartbeat. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to join them. Maybe she was better off alone. Though, Sunny struck Aro as the kind of girl that wouldn't let her go that easily. Sunny was up to no good and would bring anyone she could with her. Aro looked at the girl, a hint of a smile showing on her face but quickly fading away. Maybe today was her day. Maybe she was just looking at everything wrong.

"I'm Aro, by the way."

[Jade113]

"She said to go down there, did she...?" Nyte muttered, looking to the boy and back at the hole. Indeed, she could see a light far down into the darkness, likely Sunny and the other. Shaking her head, Nyte tapped her helmet like she would tap her chin. "Here I thought she was sane, but... looking back on it now, what a fool I was."

Nyte nodded, stepping towards the boy and shuffling closer. She looked down at him and saw his arms held up at her. "You... want me to pick you up...?" She whispered sadly, and then nodded, putting her arms beneath his and lifting him up easily, pulling him into a comfortable hold that seemed natural.

As Laphicet looked into her helmet, Nyte gazed back, looking past him to the constantly shifting forest, the seemingly living trees, and the enormous violet flowers.

"I won't let you go," Nyte muttered with a firm nod, squeezing him gently before stepping foot off the edge and into the dark abyss below.

[Mokley]

Sunny watched, quiet, while Aro's rigid posture relaxed -- while she looked outside of herself for what must've been the first time in a long time -- while her expression shifted from sour to (very slightly) hopeful. Something terrible must've had hold of her mind, to have trapped her more completely than this cave ever could. Maybe now that a light was here to shine on it, it wouldn't be so frightening. Sunny offered a heartened smile. "Good to meet ya, Aro!"

A shadow blocked the sunlight, and Sunny tipped back her head and laughed to see Nyte -- with Laphi curled in her arms -- floating gently down toward them. Sunny laid an arm across Aro's shoulders and stepped back with her, to allow her comrades room to land.

"Aro! This is Nyte and Laphi!" she announced as Nyte's armored feet touched the grass; her arm had never left Aro's shoulders. "Laphi, Nyte! Aro's gonna come exploring with us! Look at this!" She raised the lantern again, waving it at the glimmering ceiling and the drawings on the wall. "There've got to be some old secrets or relics down here! C'mon!"

Finally releasing Aro, Sunny led the way slowly down the precarious spiraling stairway. From the stairs it was clear that the grassy island had nothing to support it, but was only floating steadily at the center of nothing at all. The stairs themselves were slightly crumbled, and though they were wide there was no banister to prevent an imbalanced explorer from toppling into the dark below.

Sunny didn't notice the flash and blink of dim white lights in the distance -- like big eyes that had seen them and turned away.

The floor wasn't terribly far, and soon Sunny walked forward onto the stone bottom of the cavern, and waited there for the others to make their way down, craning her neck to see what there was to be seen. "Who do you think drew those pictures and built the stairs?" she said quietly; their voices echoed ominously in the dark.

[Tenma Tendo]

Despite knowing that his spell would work, Laphi braced himself as Nyte took the trustful leap down to the darkened crevice below. They floated down like a feather despite their combined weight and reached lower ground within a minute or so. Laphi let out a quiet sigh before releasing his death grip on the other, waiting for himself to be put down before looking at the stranger they were apparently suppose to help out.

The first thing the child could point out was the woman's sharp icy blue eyes, a deep contrast to his deep and soft ruby red ones. She had long hair like Sunny, but it was darker and styled differently. Not to mention they had stark skin complexions compared to each other; the woman appeared to be more on his side of the spectrum than anything else.

Still not very fond of meeting new people so suddenly, Laphicet simply stared before moving next to Sunny who had a lantern. He hated the dark more than anything in the world, so Laphicet made sure to stick close to Sunny at all costs, following her gaze to the drawings on the walls. He recognized a few as constellations, and others of people worshiping a star above them. It was a peculiar sight indeed, but Laphicet didn't pay much mind as he simply followed closely behind Sunny as to not get left behind. While she was busy worrying about the stairs, Laphi eyes locked with something else before the later disappeared into the darkness. And that seemed to be the last straw for the child as he wanted to widen the radius of their light source.

After a quick sifting through his tarot cards, the boy finally pulled out The Sun card and held it to his chest as he mumbled the incantation.
"Tarot of the Sun, allow The Magician to become the light that guides us to the truth." Once the final syllable left his lips, he immediately began to glow in a bright white light the same color as his hair. It wasn't too strong that you couldn't see him anymore, but it was more than enough to lighten the entire area. In response to Sunny's question about the drawings as well as the dangerous staircase, the child could only shrug in confusion, the light surrounding his body dimming a little bit as if to describe his mood.

@Mokley@Jade113@LordofthePies

[Jade113]

Nyte's metal boots touched the floor gently, and she set the child in her arms down. Looking into the dark, she spotted the stranger and waved as Sunny introduced the adventurer and new companion. "Hello there, I am Nyte the knight, spelled N-Y-T-E. It's absolutely wonderful to meet you!"

Putting her hands to her metaphorical hips, Nyte began following behind the little band that had formed, not minding the dark much at all and very easily navigating the crumbling stairs. Watching the boy take out yet another tarot card made Nyte sigh quietly to herself, but it was very interesting to see him start glowing a brilliant white. "Do not tire yourself out, child," she muttered, mostly to herself. As the dark cavern began to light up, Nyte looked to the drawings Sunny mentioned and rubbed her helmet thoughtfully.

"Hmmmm... I've heard paranoid wizards like to hole themselves in places! It could also be a prison for a massive monster that we've accidentally unearthed and have unleashed upon the world, resulting in the destruction of all life as we know it. I'd like to think it's the former!"

[LordofthePies]

Aro followed Sunny as she went down the stairs, chowing to ignore the mystic behind her. Her mother had warned her that magic would always destroy you in some way or another. Aro had wanted to at least practice with the healing magic, but acting seeing their group's healer go dark and try to kill her, she changed her mind.

"It is probably just a cave someone fell into and made their home. It seems that whoever was here wanted to tell a story, or perhaps just add some decor."

Aro considered whether or not she should've given them her name. If the trio were to get her into trouble, she certainly didn't want them dragging her title into it. That was, if they were going to be troublesome. She assumed the one that hadn't introduced himself was Lahpicet. He was interesting, to say the least.

"If I had a home, I would definitely add some stars. That's something I'll miss if I ever settle, laying down and looking up at the sky."

[Mokley]

While the walls brightened and their paintings took on stark contrast, Sunny paused on the stairs to stare back at Laphicet with a slackened jaw. He was glowing! Like something ethereal or divine, the kid emanated a brilliant light from within himself to guide their way. Sunny grinned a little, fondly; the metaphor hadn't escaped her.

Thinking of wizards and monsters and stars and home, Sunny continued farther down the winding staircase.

Laphi's light revealed still more of their surroundings as they descended; the primitive artwork of the higher rocks -- depicting handprints and symbolized people and forests and monsters -- soon gave way to colorful mosaics of intricate design. Blues and yellows and reds, violets and greens, shone brilliantly in the white light. Together the small stones created images of huge godlike figures basked in radiance, destroyed cities, people carrying jugs of water up winding stairs, the white towers of a prosperous civilization gleaming in starlight.

Sunny gaped at the beautiful mosaics, so distracted that she stumbled when she finally reached the bottom of the stairs. The floor was a shining obsidian that perfectly reflected Laphi's light -- yet still the farthest reaches of the room were shrouded in shadow.

"Who's there?" a man's voice echoed out of the darkness, quick and suspicious. "Identify yourselves, strangers! Who dares open the way? You'll let loose --"

"KREEEEEE!"

Sunny spun around, pressing her torch in the direction of this new echo; out of the darkness a pair of shining white eyes stared steadily down at them from high above, moving back and forth, flicking dangerously. Quieter were the sounds of clacking talons and shifting feathers.

Only Aro would distinctly recognize the call of a griffin.

[Tenma Tendo]

Laphicet gave Nyte a look that was hard to describe. Dopey? Goofy? Well, regardless, he did it to show that he was perfectly okay and shouldn't run out of steam anytime soon. He kept a tight grip on Sunny as he didn't want to get lost, staring quietly at the at the symbols and pictures displayed on the rocks. He was pretty sure that he wasn't suppose to know what they meant, but they were still nice to look at?

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Laphi took another quick look around, only to flinch at the sound of another voice echoing around them. It was that of a man and clearly put Laphicet on edge as his light dimmed slightly. He was telling them to state their names, but before Laphi or anyone else had the chance to speak up, an wretched cry caught the boy off guard, making him meow fearfuly as he stuck to Sunny like white on rice.

@Mokley@Jade113@LordofthePies

[LordofthePies]

Aro's eyes immediately widened when she heard the cry. The cry of a griffin. She didn't know how to escape a Griffin other than running into a space it couldn't follow you into. Aro assumed, that like with most animals, if you faced it and slowly backed away, it would be less likely to chase. But she couldn't move. Aro could only think of her memories.

Aro whispered, "Griffin."

Memory

KREEEEEEE

The griffin cried before diving into the camp. The people inside of the camp weren't prepared, they were eating lunch, enjoying their day. Little did they know, it would be their last meal. The monstrosity's white feathers allowed it to blend in with the snow, but the griffin didn't want to hide, it wanted to kill. They were in her territory, dangerously close to her nest. The female griffin simply wouldn't allow humans to be so close to her unhatched young. But they didn't know that, how could they?

The griffin charged, wasting no time. She ripped through two people before they even thought to fight back. An arrow plunged deep into her shoulder, but she didn't care. The griffin was protecting her babies, and no amount of pain would cause her to stop.

She tore through the camp, painting the snow red with human blood.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The griffin recognized the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. She looked towards the small girl that was walking through the snow, not knowing what had just happened. The griffin's golden eyes met the girl's blue ones. There was an instant understanding.

Then, the girl ran.

[Mokley]

Sunny stared up at the eyes that sparked in the darkness; she was at the same time fearful and in awe, unsure how to react to such a beast that she'd only heard about but had never seen.

She felt Laphi slam against her, and she laid a comforting hand on his head -- but it was a whisper in Aro's voice that distracted her attention. Sunny stared over at Aro, illuminated hauntingly in Laphi's light. Aro seemed ... terrified.

The outline of wings spread; talons scraped against stone.

Suddenly the griffin was speeding at them, wings wide, eyes sharp. Silent. Deadly.

"RUN!" the man's voice echoed behind them.

Sunny sucked a breath through her teeth; there was no way they could escape running, not in this dark open space. She shoved Laphi behind her, grabbed the thin leather pack from her shoulders and raised it up like a shield, bracing herself, just as the griffin's talons clattered against it.

Illuminated from below, the white griffin seemed ghastly -- feathers and talons and snapping beak. Talons snapped out again.

Sunny was wrenched suddenly away from Laphi and dragged upside-down into the air before she could understand what was happening. Her "shield" clanged to the floor. Inside the leather pouch was a heavy brass astrolabe, set to Whistlehowl.

The griffin -- and Sunny -- was gone.

[Tenma Tendo]

Laphicet easily calmed down when Sunny placed a hand on top of his flattened ears. The boy's wide eyes moved unconsciously to Aro as she whispered that there was...a griffin? But how was that even possible?! And why did she sound so scared? It was only when the white winged beast came flying at them at top speed that Laphicet understood the other's reaction.

The man had told them to run, but much like Sunny, he couldn't being himself to do it. It wasn't like he would be able to outrun such a beast anyways. And although he wasn't able to do anything himself, Sunny shoved him behind her, acting as a shield for his sake. The griffin came at them like a bullet, with Sunny attempting to fend it of with her leather bag. Laphi felt like he needed to help, and knew that he had a card that could get them out of this situation, but his body wouldn't do what his clouded mind was trying to do.

Before he was given any more time to actually think about what they could do, Laphi's companion was ripped away from his grasp without mercy, causing the boy to yell out in distress.
"SUNNY!" They boy cried as he reached a hand in the direction that the griffin had taken Sunny. Laphi had been in far too much shock to notice the astrolabe that now laid beside him.

Laphi turned to face the others, stifling tears with tiny hiccups as he looked like he was on the verge of having a meltdown after losing his most precious friend. What was he suppose to do without Sunny? What could he do without Sunny?

@Mokley@Jade113@LordofthePies

[LordofthePies]

Aro's mind was broken. She ducked under cover when the griffin swooped down to grab Sunny, but she couldn't do anything else. She sat, head buried in her knees. The trauma was too much. They would never get Sunny back from that thing.

No.
It had been years, and she still held her fear of the creatures, but she had to do something. It had been so long, and even at the mention of the things, Aro broke. She couldn't help but remember what had happened, what she had done. She didn't want to lose someone else to the things, especially not someone as whole-hearted as Sunny.

At least, those were her thoughts. She held tight, hiding behind a rock. Aro had to be brave, but she couldn't. Her mind was in debate. She was weak and flawed, but she couldn't let Sunny die. But what had Sunny done for her that she wouldn't have done for herself? Sunny had shown her kindness, isn't that reason enough?

Eventually, Aro's fear subsided. It had been at least a decade before her family died and she didn't want to be weak anymore. She stood, less fear in her eyes.

"We have to get Sunny back." Aro didn't see where the Griffin went, but since the cave was only one way she couldn't lose it. She looked towards Laphicet and nodded to him. "We're going to get her back."

[Mokley]

"There's no getting anyone back," the man's voice snapped once again out of the darkness, echoing on the high walls.

The strike and hiss of a match preceded the appearance of a new source of light. An old man shut the glass door of his lantern, shook out the match and shuffled toward the two lost misfits. The lantern-light illuminated his long white hair and bulbous nose; his eyes were squinted in a grumpy glare. There were bright-colored leaves in his knotted hair, and he wore what appeared to be a blue-and-yellow dress patterned with big purple flowers. He skidded along on rope sandals that were frayed and full of holes.

"Forty years I've kept that Terror under lock and key -- forty years I haven't had a single dream, and for what!" He gestured in frustration at the empty air. "You three let it loose in seconds! Which one of you was it?"

He stopped a few feet away and peered at Laphicet and Aro with suspicious beady eyes. "One of you dreamed up a griffin and gave the Terror form! Fess up, now!"

[LordofthePies]

"Oh no, don't push the blame on us! It was your job to keep this thing locked up and you did a terrible job! It was ridiculously easy to get in here, and even easier for that thing to leave! This is on you, not us!"

Aro would never admit that she had given the creature form, but it wasn't entirely her fault. There were so many things this man could do to keep this thing in check, and he just chose to keep it in a hole in the ground. And it was his fault Sunny was gone.

"We don't have time for this. Laphicet, Nyte, let's go get Sunny back." Aro glared at the man before walking past him.

She was in a mood. She didn't care that she was going up against her worst nightmare, she had to one-up this old man. And probably get Sunny back. She would probably feel different when she faced the Griffin, but for now, she had a job to do. She hoped the other two were going to come with her. Aro couldn't do this alone, as much as she felt like she could.

@Mokley@Tenma Tendo@Jade113