The lights flickered on and off like flames on a wick. Painting shadows on that strange fluffy creature. Such ambiance was only heightened by the drip drop of the cave and the scuffled sounds of hooves against the ground. Her hellion gaze focuses on the carvings on the rock, like embroidery on a lady’s dress. That permanent scowl balancing on her lips. Her usual vociferous manner, her yelling and complaining ways seemed to be dampened by the almost eerie mood of the tunnel. It wasn’t long the hours she’d been here. Perhaps not even a full day yet. Her new legs were shaky, her voice was horse from the lack of use. Eye unadjusted to the bright lighting and the way that darkness soothed you only to throw you back into the glow. Peggy swallowed, sitting her rump heavily in front of the scriptures. Her first thought was that it was really ugly. She wasn’t at all in awe of this unique story. A story she couldn’t understand, so of course it wasn’t good enough. The plot-line was most likely the stupidest plot-line anybody could ever come up with. Our grumpy little sheep snorted, fully content, knowing that it was not her own ignorance, but simply someone else’s. Sass sass sass.

The creature to run into our sassy and heroic sheep was of much the same mind. He had little interest in the wall-carvings--little disinterest, either; he had never really noticed them.

What he did notice was the sheep plonked before them, staring, and he decided that this was a prime opportunity to stir up trouble. Possibly a great deal.

He landed on the cave wall opposite, behind her, half-upside down and with talons scratching on the stone. His loud, rude voice rang out, echoing through the cave.

"Stories? You're reading STORIES? What are they even about?! They're stupid," he snorted, assuming the mockery would insult the sheep. He judged that she must be interested, or admiring them--he had no idea she was every bit as derisive as he.

That'll set it off, for sure, he thought, enjoying the thought of some chaotic conflict.

@Peggy

Gently, Peggy pressed forward to examine the writing beneath the images. Of course, being less than a day awake, she couldn’t read. Yet she could pretend to have some sort of...inkling. And that inkling screamed BOH-RING! Then that loud rambunctious noise rang in her young ears, rattling the passage. The sheep, stunned, stumbled forward. Her poor snout BONKED against the hard wall. “ Ye lard brained screechy gobshyte !” The long string of words spilled from her mouth in agony, she turned, rubbing her hoof on her throbbing snout. That creature, hanging upside down, was nothing like what she’d seen before. Then again. She hadn’t seen much. Peggy was not so impressed. “O' course ye're a screamer, ye can nah even stand right,” the tiny sheep scoffed. It was strange, their like mindedness. Did it please her, or just push her towards the ever present edge? That loud squawking mouth had already sent him down to the people-I-don’t-like box. And boy, was that box full. “I dunno wha' they be about. I reckon they be squiffy too.” Sass sass sass.

@Imp

Imp stared, for a beat. He had no idea what the hell the sheep had just said, and after his own manner, he began to laugh. It was a hissing and mocking laughter.

"What are you saying? What are you trying to say? 'Squiffy?' That isn't even a word. You're as dumb as that writing is. And I can stand and I can FLY, I bet you can't even FLY and you only have one EYE!"

Imp thought this was hilarious. The hapless thing was just angrily babbling on (or was that baa-bbling?) and glaring at him with its single eye and boy did it sure sound mad. He decided to stoke its fire further. "Maybe if you study it you'll be the first to be able to figure it out. It'll probably take you a few years, though, fluffy, if you can't even talk right!"

@Peggy

Her cheeks filled with air, as she bit down on her lips. The topaz fang beginning to prick menacingly at her tender flesh. Threatening blood. An odd metallic taste already flooded her mouth. “Ye're th' one who can nah speak straight!” Peggy cried out, furious. Her single eyes glistening with furry, her teeth gritted. Heat spreading over her face in the utter embarrassment and RAGE! “Even if ye could fly, ye prolly fly like a drunken sailor. I can do more wit' this eye than ye could do wit' SEVEN!” She continued to spit the fiery words. This sheep had made a conclusion. Whatever, and whoever this thing was. It was completely. Utterly. And most importantly. STUPID. The creature’s attack continued, and she continued to boil beneath the surface. It felt as if she could simply EXPLODE. “Oh, I'll show ye, ye big syphilitic puppy killin' slimey bastitch!” With more determination than ever, she turned to look at the script and the images. Quickly scanning over everything, as if she could will the wall to speak. COME ON YOU STUPID WALL! MAKE SOME SENSE! Sass sass sass.

@Imp

The alligator-bat remained perched upside-down high on the cave wall, and as Peggy began furiously willing herself to suddenly learn to read, he just laughed at her.

He wasn't kind on the best of days--he was true to his name and quite frankly a little shit. But the sheep's fury tickled him.

"Did you call me a puppy-killer?! And what's a sailor?" he managed, between peals of laughter. Eventually, however, satisfied with the mayhem he'd thus far caused, he slowly turned his attention to the carvings themselves.

"It's probably a stupid story," he said again after a time, calmer--"--but Dad always says we're all gonna die if we don't figure out what it means. I don't care, though," he added, with a faint tone of derision. He sounded as if this were all beneath him.

Really, he just didn't have the patience or the attention span to try and learn a damn thing.

@Peggy

That noise. It was in her ears, almost reaching into her brain. As if he’d been pressing her beneath her claws, yet he actually wasn’t. She could just...she could just feel her own chest tightening. Something dragging her down further into the abyss. Such feelings were new. Almost too powerful for the young sheep. And so the edge pressed closer and closer. Something would happen, she knew. But what? What could his horrid laugh induce? Peggy concentrated harder on the wall, magenta-red eye shimmering as it slid amongst the carving. Searching for a hint of familiarity amongst the stone. There had to be something. Something. Something. He spoke again. A question. Peggy snorted forcefully, casting a glance over her shoulder. “Somethin' ye could ne'er understand.” Her answer was sharp, bitting. That fang sliding over her lips as they pressed together in contempt. Something about him changed, and he seemed more thoughtful. His heightened airs only served to bring her to glance over her shoulder once more. “Die then. Nobody be goin' t' care about it.” Sass sass sass.

@Imp

Imp grinned wider at the sheep's words. So she still wanted to go, did she? That was fine by him. Amused joy flooded through him and he went right back to it, laughing once more, mockingly.

"Just like nobody'd care about you, fluffy. You and your stupid eye. Nobody knows you, nobody cares. Why do you care? Anyway, I mean all of us. You and me and everyone."

He scrambled higher up the ceiling wall, his ridged tail hanging down a bit, until he was almost clinging batlike to the ceiling. It seemed to take some effort.

"You sure you can figure all that out? You don't seem all that smart," he added, "helpfully."

@Peggy

AND AGAIN! With that sickening sound. Peggy bit her lip. She had the biggest urge to shove her hoof into his mouth and just choke him with it. Then at least, he’d be SILENT. And let her concentrate. The sheep turned, her gaze wishing to peel his skin from his flesh as he clambered up the ceiling. Chin tipped upwards. A snort leaving her flaring nostrils. The liquid hit the brim, it was a slow motion, as it dribbled over the cub. And so...she did it. “ENOUGH!” A word rang loud and clear in the cave. Her eye closed shut. “I shall read this tale, so be quiet.” And one her eye opened, once her throat felt rough. Once her teeth were clenched so tight and that strange wave moved through her, pulsating in the back of her eye. It happened. It was by instinct that she focused on the ground, feeling the magic as it seemed to well up inside her. Yet. Peggy thought she was going to summon a big blast of lava to shut him up or something. Not a tiny plant. Should she succeed at all... Sass sass sass.

@Imp

Imp peered, watching. He wasn't sure what she was gonna do--she seemed angry. Threatening.

He observed. She stamped her hoof, and-... Grew a plant? Was it meant to be a threat? Was it meant to... do something bad? Dangerous.

He kept waiting, for awhile, but the plant didn't leap up and attack him, or throw magic at him or anything like that. ...Huh. Seeing as he wasn't in danger, he found his arrogance again--but this time, rather than mockery, he felt like showing off.

He gathered his own magic, focusing it, feeling it shimmer through him.

"That's your magic? Look at mine!"" His feet began to glow white-hot; the stone to which he was clinging, bit by bit, began to smoke and sear. He moved along the ceiling over the sheep, grinning down, leaving burning footprints in his wake. Bits of ash fell from the ceiling behind him as he moved.

@Peggy