secret garden - Printable Version

Since Maximus had become a bit of a nomad since leaving the Forge, they hadn't settled down into what could be called a 'home' yet. Pisces had potential, as did Pegasus, but Pegasus was close to the Forge and Pisces wasn't the most hospitable place for an herbivore to stay long-term if one wanted to feed within the same cave. Eridanus ended up being the closest fit for their desires, but they hadn't found somewhere that felt right.

They approached the overgrowth with wonder, watching the running stream for a moment before looking up. Flowers. Dozens of them, all pink, long, and hollow. The occasional bumblebug crawled inside, only its tiny little butt sticking out as it wiggled, struggling to get the nectar within. It was so peaceful already that Max had to stand for a moment, taking it in.

Mr. Nibbles approached from behind, coming to a stop beside them. He took the initiative and hopped forward, disappearing under the plants.

"Nibbles, wait!" Max said, taking a step forward. They paused for a moment and took a deep breath, wondering why they were afraid. They weren't a rabbit, a prey creature made to fear, so why were they so hesitant about a mysterious opening in the wall of Eridanus that could lead anywhere, even into the stomach of a great, fearsome beast-

They stamped a foot and snorted, annoyed and a little afraid. They were just working themselves up now.

"Maximus. You fought Draconua and lived. This is nothing," they snorted, lifting a hand to brush over their fearsome scars, though they weren't exactly gained by an impressive battle. "Don't be a wuss."

Maximus leapt forward into the unknown after their wayward companion, ready to see what was on the other side.

The tangled overgrowth covered the rear wall of Eridanus. Though water seemed to trickle into the stone, Maximus would achieve nothing but an unfortunately bonked head upon trying to duck into the wall. Closer examination would reveal nothing; this was a wall, impassable by any normal means. If there were something here, it was very, very well-hidden.

That is, certainly, what would make it safe? Unless there was nothing here at all...

Perhaps then they would remember the Wishing Stone's urge:

Find the magic; find your safe place there. Perhaps there was something Maximus could use to search for magic, here?

A bonked head was certainly what they got, much to Max's dismay. They fell right onto their rear with a snort and shook themselves off, fluffing right up and becoming a legged marshmallow. They paced as their fur settled, pawing at the wall and ground to see if that would do something.

"Nibbles!" they called out, though of course there was no response.

Maximus huffed and snuffled at the base of the stone before it finally clicked in their head. Magic. Find the magic, the stone said.

They stepped back and closed their eyes for a moment. When they opened, the room lit up, the gemstones of lesser bright to their eyes. They could ever see Mr. Nibbles, who'd simply gone off to graze beneath a plant, his green coloring disguising him perfectly.

Deep within the undergrowth was no open gap, but instead, a lever. Though a simple and mundane piece of equipment, it nonetheless hummed with the faintest bit of magic--a beacon, perhaps, for its former owner to find it again.

But the owner--whomever they had been--had long since abandoned this place.

When pulled, the lever would trigger a deep but quiet grinding within the stone--and a door, hidden perfectly flush with the cave wall, would roll on a track of rounded stones out of the way.

For Maximus, a crouch would be required--perhaps even on their hands and knees, at times--to pass through the short tunnel. Anyone much larger would be unable to follow, adding perhaps an additional layer of security to this hiding place. But, as Maximus would find--should they push past curtains of tangled vines and sheets of flower-laced ivy--this place had been made for so much more than hiding.

The little room was, once Maximus reached it, very clearly intended to be a home: perhaps three of their body lengths in diameter, yet spherical, so that the walls extended farther than the somewhat narrower floor or ceiling. The entire room was old gray stone, worn smooth with use, and the walls had been carefully carved into shelves with deeper centers, like windowboxes for flowers built in rings around the room, layered high from floor to ceiling. One part of the room held wider shelves, flat instead of deep, as though intended for sleeping on or for belongings instead of deep dirt and plants. And the ceiling held three little orb lights on a string--dormant, dark, so that the cave at first would be pitch black. But Maximus's transcendent magic could ignite their light again. The only belongings left to speak of were a few large, misshapen, ceramic and stone pots: some on the floor, some atop the shelves, all filled with old dirt. Lastly, the little creek that burbled below the room surfaced at its center in a little pool a few feet across: an easy water source and a very pretty feature, offering a soft and relaxing sound of gently moving water.

Though lifeless at the moment, the room was clearly intended to overflow with plant life: it would be easy to imagine the shelves filled with bushes and flowers, with ivy like that outside trailing down the walls, the pots filled with little trees or whatever Maximus might like. And the lever would keep it exceedingly well-hidden: it was not impossible for another to find, but so long as Maximus was careful not to be seen, it was very unlikely that anyone would ever know the room was there. It was so out of the way, so carefully concealed, that a better haven could hardly have been asked for.

And it all belonged to Max.

Maximus found the lever and pulled it, spooking away from the noise and watching with fascination as the previously solid wall rolled out of the way. They wanted to study the mechanism, to see how it worked, but that was for another time. For now, they entered the hiding place, their own eye glow allowing them enough light to see by (though their habit of simply closing their eyes and wandering around kept them able to move without sight anyway). They gently pushed curtains of flowers and vines away, careful not to accidentally harm any in the process, their nose constantly twitching as they breathed in the scent of flowers.

They entered the room and squinted, unable to see much. But they could stand at their full height, so they did just that and looked up and around, taking in what they could. They picked out the lights once they had somewhat adjusted to the very dim light of their eyes, reaching up with a hand towards them. They couldn't quite reach, and though they reached for their magic, the orbs didn't react.

Maximus huffed and reached for their magic again, their ear flicking behind them as they felt more than heard Mr. Nibbles come in. The rabbit of course couldn't see, so he bumped into Max and pawed at them insistently. They picked him up immediately, petting his ears gently as they looked back up at the lights. They just had to turn them on.

Light flooded the room suddenly, making them wince and squint for a moment. Then they slowly opened their eyes and gasped, finding themselves in a haven.

They set Mr. Nibbles down and stepped forward, peering around the space in wonder. Shelves, pots, places to store things, a small pool for them to drink from. It was...

”Beautiful...” they whispered, letting their claws drag over one of the shelves, collecting dust as they went. ”Needs some clean up, but I doubt it will be too hard. Right, Mr. Nibbles?”

Mr. Nibbles sent an affirmative across their bond and hopped to the small pool, sniffing at the surface of the water before taking a nice, long drink. It was cool and refreshing, and soon the rabbit was grooming himself, relaxed by the calm atmosphere.

”Yes... I believe this will be home,” Max said, getting to work.