ORIGIN

The roar started out soft and faint, but grew, rocking the room, piercing the air like some sort of hellish creature. Adeyemi's feathers puffed out to their fullest, and he glared at the unseen foe, gaze darting about the room, wings rising as he moved in front of Willow, as if to shield her with his body. "Show yourself, foul beast!" The words were strong and proud, but the prince's posture was low and ready to scrimmage. This little display was rather ruined when Delphine startled - though the turaco couldn't much blame her, considering she'd only hatched hours ago.

He spread out his wings to lessen the fall from her back, eyes clenched shut to brace for impact, rolling with the hit of the ground and ending up on two wobbly legs, darting a glance as Delphine fled before turning back to the noise, ready to keep it away from both his owlet hatch mate and the black horse. "Engarde!" Adeyemi raised his gem-capped talon into the air, ready for a brawl - but quickly paled and dropped the foot as the "beast" did, indeed, appear.

Instead of one enemy, there seemed to be hundreds, all built of stone, all advancing quite rapidly. With a startled squawk, the royal turned tail, pushing Willow along as he fled towards Delphine's exit path, letting out a yelp to the other parties of this little event. "I do apologize but we must leave now, very sorry," was called over a colorful shoulder, before the turaco began to waddle-run-hop-glide over the terrain, disappearing into a tunnel.

[ Exit Adeyemi ]

Booker watched in a sort of bittersweet pride as Delphine accepted the two birds. They would look after her, it seemed, and really, that was the most important thing - even if he wanted to fill that role, deep down in his constantly affection-needy soul. Still, the thought didn't have much time to percolate before the entire room seemed to tremble, filling with a terrible roar and the heavy thump-clack of stone hitting stone. The numbat froze, unconsciously sinking into his prey-animal mentality, making himself as small as possible. Ears pitched forward to try and locate, his gaze darted this way and that, until finally, the cause became obvious.

Almost hazily unknowing of both Delphine's and the bird's exits, Booker stared in horror at the quickly advancing wave of... well, whatever they were, they looked mindless, and as if they had one goal: to keep going, no matter if he and Khloros were in the way. Shaking himself out of his stupor, the numbat turned to peer up at the dark horse, patting at the nearest ankle to get his attention. "Khlor, we gotta go, we gotta go now!" The shout was slightly dulled by the ongoing roar, but Booker quickly took off, obviously hoping that Khloros would follow, showing the same trust the foal had since the numbat had found him, freshly hatched and eyes breaking through the darkness with their ghostly light.

[ Exit Booker ]

Khloros widened large glowing eyes, staring in shock at the bumbling rock things pouring past him to leave Polaris. He wondered if they could get to the safety of Booker's little cave. He hoped they could. With a quick glance behind him he saw that most of the others were already fleeing. He wasn't sure if these golems were dangerous--but it wouldn't be wise, he thought instinctively, to take chances.

"Run!" he shrilled, a shrieking foal's neigh, turning with a clatter of soft hooves toward Booker. The implication was that yes, he would follow--and when Booker ran, so did he, lurching unsteadily along at a stumbling gallop.

He wasn't sure what was going on. He just hoped that Magdalena and Delphine and the rest had gotten to safety--and that these rock-things, whatever they were, were harmless.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

(exit willow)