how to embrace a radioactive lizard

[takes place in may, directly following catching up with old friends. AW but amazon cannot learn the source of her pain due to timeline issues]
the journey from the dam to the most central area of polaris was not particularly long, but to prata--and, he was sure, to the little lizard held so gingerly in his jaws--it felt like an eternity of discomfort. his ears were aimed back towards the dam, and his steps were measured, but swift.

now safely away from the golems, prata stopped and crouched down to dip amazon slowly toward the ground. be careful, don't wiggle around and hurt yourself, he wanted to say, but alas, it was impossible to speak with her still in his jaws. he did not dare move his jaws even the slightest amount until his fangs were nearly flush with the stone floor. then, he opened them as slowly as possible, hoping it'd signal amazon the right herself and try to get steady on the ground. when he thought he'd given her enough time, he opened his mouth fully and pulled away.

now comfortably above the lizard, he watched to make sure she didn't have any immediate problems righting herself.

"meow."
others' speech.

The golems had been active off and on for some time, but the movement of the radioactive lizard and the flurry cat was drawing attention. There was no safe from golems--not ever, and certainly not in Polaris; they were the rocks themselves, the gems that formed the cave.

And they had been more and more active, of late. It wasn't yet clear why, but here it was, a pile of boulders nearby suddenly grinding upward, forming into a moving pile nearly ten feet tall. It towered over the pair, and began to stomp toward them...

________

Prata and Amazon will have one round of chance to escape the situation in any way they see possible. A failure may result in golem attack!

As Prata had carried Amazon through Polaris and away from the golems, she had finally started to feel better. It was gradual and a long time coming, but by the time that Prata had set her down, she was feeling almost back to normal. She sighed softly as the cat's teeth gently released from her body and her feet touched the ground. She didn't have any trouble finding her footing and she stepped back from the cat, looking up, both embarrassed by having to be carried but also grateful that the cat had helped her, a complete stranger, when she had needed it most.

"Thanks. I'm feeling a lot better now. I'm sorry that I bothered you all of a sudden..." she shuffled her tiny feet nervously, glancing around as if scared someone would reprimand her for being so weak. "The sickness kind of happens often, but that...that was the worst its gotten. I'm not sure what causes it yet..."

She was going to continue and talk about what she already knew when a stomping caught her attention. She whipped around and her eyes widened with fear. A huge monster, a creature of gems and rocks was towering towards them. She didn't even think of running - she was far too small and slow to even think about escaping. "P-Prata! What is that?!"

prata watched with relief as amazon righted herself quickly, though he could not say his nerves were completely quelled. he still didn't know what the problem was, or how to help.

"don't feel bad, i'm glad you're--" prata purred, but his words trailed off into an alarmed hastiness as his ears caught a noise behind him. "--feeling better..."

looking behind him, prata's eyes dilated in fear, and his fur literally stood on end as he visibly jumped at what was most definitely a golem. "a golem we have to leave," he said without pausing. it was a good thing amazon was feeling better.

why were they so far out here? he knew it wasn't impossible for them to come all the way to the middle of polaris, the dam was just a danger zone, after all, but--

there wasn't time to think! prata lunged for amazon again, attempting to pick her up in his jaws without hurting her, but there wasn't much time to be careful. luckily, his instincts seemed to take over, and prata only took a few excruciating moments to settle the lizard in his jaws again.

he only hoped she had the presence of mind to steady herself, for he knew they could not afford to take the time to get comfortable before he started running at full speed. his grip was a little tighter this time, but at the very least he was old enough to know how to control his own mouth.

"meow."
others' speech.

The golem stomped forward, each step making the rock underfoot tremble. Steps that could crush bone. Steps that could end lives.

But Prata's swift reactions took both cat and lizard sweeping safely away, and the golem was left trundling after them--surprisingly fast for something so heavy, but still nowhere near the feline's speed. It pursued... albeit slowly, seeming to hone in on something unseen, but unable to catch up to the pair.

Amazon watched the golem get closer, eyes wide with fear and feet glued to the ground when, suddenly, she felt the cat's fangs gingerly close around her body again. Within another second, she was flying, or, well, it seemed like she was. Prata had picked her up again and they were running. She squeaked with surprise, but didn't struggle - she knew that the cat would be able to run much faster then her.

She tried not to move, knowing that it would make it harder for him to run, but at least she was a little more comfortable this time. "Where are we going to go?! That thing is going to keep following us!"

prata did not stop to talk. he didn't know where he was going to go, but he had to go somewhere. the closest tunnels were the coldest. it wouldn't be good for amazon, but neither would be getting crushed... he'd have to just get her out of the cold tunnels quick and keep her warm with magic, if he could.

"taroh! taroh-urhh!" prata yelped, gingerly, around the lizard in his mouth. since he was only really using his tongue, it was probably not clear at all, but it didn't matter. not now.

prata sprinted toward the warmest of the two unpleasant areas of the caves, terror still pounding through his limbs. he could feel the golem's stomps deep in his chest, even as his paws glided across the ground, even as distance grew between them. he didn't want to fight a golem. he didn't want to be responsible for a child's death. he'd protect amazon if it meant he had to bleed his magicka dry in tunnel O!

--exit prata with amazon, AGAIN--

"meow."
others' speech.

Amazon let herself be carried away by Prata, grateful at least that she had someone carrying her around, even if she was still a little uncomfortable with being in a predator's mouth. However, she dealt with it, knowing that there was no way she would ever be able to keep ahead of that golem. But she didn't want to leave Polaris just yet! There was still so much to explore!

But, then again, there were other places to explore as well. And if this place was going to be so dangerous, at least for the moment, there was no way she would survive, especially on her own. She would have to come back later when things have calmed down.

*exit