Creatures Caves

Part Two

Grendel raids are never expected, goodness no. Yet they'd been happening with such frequency, surely it came as quite the unpleasant surprise to happen so soon after the last...

Crash

The sounds of shacks splintering apart and objects smashing against the icy ground grow louder and closer. Screams become more frequent as children are separated from their families. Next comes the first of many blood curdling wails that soon fill the town...

"MY BABY!! Please! Please don't take my baby!!"

A thin, frail Treehugger howls as a pair of burly Grendel troops stack her shimmery yellow egg in a cart. She chases after them as far as her legs can carry her, beseeching them to spare her child. Alas, she stumbles over some discarded wreckage and sprawls across the snow, weeping.

"Please, please, NO!!" she shrieks as she tries to stand up, only to fall over again, helpless to stop her egg being carted away. A few other first time mothers come to console her, escorting her down into their secluded burrow.

Andara surveys the whole scene from her window, before turning to her son. She looks down at her egg sadly, oblivious to the thunderous sound of fast approaching Grendels. She kneels down and puts one hand on Ferro's shoulder.

The little Norn bites back his tears as he stares into his mothers eyes, lip trembling. "Momma, I'm scared...!"

"Ferro, you have to hide for mama. I want you to go, stay in the cupboard until I come and get you. Everything is gonna be okay honey... Just don't make a sound and it'll be okay..." She whispers urgently and quickly, ushering her son into a small dusty cabinet.

Just as she closes the aging doors of the cupboard, a deafening crash destroys the wall of the little shack. Andara winces and curls her arms protectively around her precious egg as the dust settles... There, standing amongst the wreckage, is a pair of deep turquoise Grendels... A large, brutish male with a toothy scowl and a smaller, slighter female with shifty eyes and an uncertain wince.

The gruff looking male squints through the dust and debris. He spots Andara's huddled figure amidst the mess. "Looks like we've got ourselves a pretty little doe." The Grendel chuckles, his gravelly voice making Ferro's fur stand on end. He stomps through the scattered boards and shards of glass, beckoning the other Grendel closer. Despite the village crashing down around them, and the countless screams to be heard, there's an almost eery calmness about the shack...

Slowly, surely, Andara rises to her feet. Still protectively clutching her egg, she lets out a shaky sigh. "Haven't you done enough damage already?" She stares hard into the glossy red eyes of the scaly brute. She clutches her egg tighter to her chest, trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes. This has happened all too often before...

"Just give us the egg." The male snarls, cracking his knuckles. The smaller female Grendel steps forward to pry the egg from Andara's arms. Her elbow knocks against the aged cabinet, tipping it over onto the ground. From inside the cupboard, Ferro lets out a small panicked squeal.

A toothy grin spreads across the male Grendel's face. Andara freezes, ashen faced. The Grendel lifts the cabinet, shaking the poor boy onto the icy ground. Ferro looks up in horror, eyes wide. He tries to scurry away, but to his dismay, the hulking Grendel lifts him up by his leg, high up into the air.

"MAMA!!" Ferro screams, squirming as he tries to get free. Andara hardens her stare, marching over to the great beast. Reaching one paw up, she slaps his face as hard as she can. Surprised at such blatant resistance, the Grendel drops Ferro.

"Not my son!" Andara scolds, standing defensively between Ferro and the Grendel. Hot angry tears stream down her face as her expression hardens. The female Grendel winces, stepping back. "Vundar, maybe w-"

Vundar bellows with rage, now trying to pry the egg from Andara's arms. Andara begins punching and kicking at his scaly hide, screaming as he wrenches her precious egg from her protective grip.

"NO!! Not my baby! I won't let you take her!! NO! NOOO!!" Andara screams louder, only to be silenced by a sharp blow to the head. Vundar growls menacingly as her frail figure crumples to the floor. He turns to Ferro, still grasping the strawberry speckled egg. He raises his clawed hand to strike, to be stopped short by the female Grendel.

"Let 'im alone, Vundar... 'E's only a boy..."

Growling, Vundar skulks away, beckoning the Grendel girl to follow. Helpless to stop them, Ferro crouches beside his mother's form, tears welling in his eyes. "Momma... Momma please get up... Don't let them take Drozzelmar... Please wake up..."

He whimpers, tears streaming down his face. He takes his mama's paw in his own, looking over at the pair of Grendels. As Vundar stacks his dear sister's egg in a cart filled with others, the female looks back at Ferro forlornly.

He'll never forget the look in her eyes as she mouthed back at him...
"I'm sorry..."