Nov 10 2020, 09:14 PM
The dinosaur trekked through the snow. Her green hide and warm yellow eyes stuck out like a sore thumb in Ursa. Green against pale white. And to say she was out of place was an understatement. Every second outside of the caves was a war. Her skin was pebbly, made for the heat of the jungle. Not the cold of ice snow and wind.
The wind wicked away whatever semblance of warmth her body managed to produce. There was no heat retention here for the raptor, not naturally. The torch in her jaws, and the hide over her back kept her going. Catalyst tucked her freezing limbs close, adjusting the cloudy fungus tucked under.
She'd been going back and forth between the tunnels and the outside of Ursa. Stalking and pinning lessers, then forcing the bits of the mold within their maws. Sometimes she felt something was off about it. A brief, conspiratorial thing that surfaced every now and then. She didn't give much thought to it. She was afraid of what would happen if she did.
Her luck had been middling. She hadn't been able to infect anything big. mice, deer, birds and rabbits, mostly. But that was more. The snow grew thick under her feet. She'd travelled a ways away from Mother's tunnels, now. She'd sunk past her ankles, and were she to guess, she were somewhere along the base of the mountain. She trotted to a nearby tree, to judge her surroundings.
Catalyst tucked the fungus into back of her jaw, behind the torch. She dug her claws into the bark, and hauled herself up the trunk, then onto one of the higher branches. She tested its its strength with a few wiggles, and then raised herself until her head was level with the tops of the branches. The bit of flame in the corner of her eyes was low. The torch was petering out, she noted.
Catalyst's head darted around with quick, stuttering movements. Her nictating membrane slid over her eyes once.She'd been right. The tunnels were a good walk away. She spotted movement in the distance. Catalyst's eyes trained onto the shape. A dark, thin shape poking out of the snow. Then, she realized, a collection of dark shapes. The horns of mountain deer. Catalyst dropped from her tree, tucking the fungus back within her limbs in one smooth motion. She began to toe closer to the herd. Staying low enough that her belly grazed the snow. The ground began to tremble. Catalyst paused.
It was stronger than any pebblequake she'd managed. She looked at the snow beneath her, curious. The flakes themselves shook. She lowered a A bleat of fear, unmuffled by the snow, hit her. Her head whipped up, just in time to see a worm break the surface. An explosion of ice and snow. And through it all, a pale shape broke the surface.
An unlucky deer kicking at nothing within its' jaws. Her muzzle split, teeth showing. Before she could blink, the worm was beneath the snow again. The only sign something'd been amiss the two fleeing survivors, and the shallow divot in the snow. Catalyst only had one thought seeing this. What she wouldn't give to have something that size a part of her family.
;exit catalyst
The wind wicked away whatever semblance of warmth her body managed to produce. There was no heat retention here for the raptor, not naturally. The torch in her jaws, and the hide over her back kept her going. Catalyst tucked her freezing limbs close, adjusting the cloudy fungus tucked under.
She'd been going back and forth between the tunnels and the outside of Ursa. Stalking and pinning lessers, then forcing the bits of the mold within their maws. Sometimes she felt something was off about it. A brief, conspiratorial thing that surfaced every now and then. She didn't give much thought to it. She was afraid of what would happen if she did.
Her luck had been middling. She hadn't been able to infect anything big. mice, deer, birds and rabbits, mostly. But that was more. The snow grew thick under her feet. She'd travelled a ways away from Mother's tunnels, now. She'd sunk past her ankles, and were she to guess, she were somewhere along the base of the mountain. She trotted to a nearby tree, to judge her surroundings.
Catalyst tucked the fungus into back of her jaw, behind the torch. She dug her claws into the bark, and hauled herself up the trunk, then onto one of the higher branches. She tested its its strength with a few wiggles, and then raised herself until her head was level with the tops of the branches. The bit of flame in the corner of her eyes was low. The torch was petering out, she noted.
Catalyst's head darted around with quick, stuttering movements. Her nictating membrane slid over her eyes once.She'd been right. The tunnels were a good walk away. She spotted movement in the distance. Catalyst's eyes trained onto the shape. A dark, thin shape poking out of the snow. Then, she realized, a collection of dark shapes. The horns of mountain deer. Catalyst dropped from her tree, tucking the fungus back within her limbs in one smooth motion. She began to toe closer to the herd. Staying low enough that her belly grazed the snow. The ground began to tremble. Catalyst paused.
It was stronger than any pebblequake she'd managed. She looked at the snow beneath her, curious. The flakes themselves shook. She lowered a A bleat of fear, unmuffled by the snow, hit her. Her head whipped up, just in time to see a worm break the surface. An explosion of ice and snow. And through it all, a pale shape broke the surface.
An unlucky deer kicking at nothing within its' jaws. Her muzzle split, teeth showing. Before she could blink, the worm was beneath the snow again. The only sign something'd been amiss the two fleeing survivors, and the shallow divot in the snow. Catalyst only had one thought seeing this. What she wouldn't give to have something that size a part of her family.
;exit catalyst