The darkness was immediate and all-consuming. Gladiator skidded to a halt, their eyes almost luminescent and wild in the pitch as they roved, fervently, for a flash of the deer. But there was nothing, not even the barest whiff of a scent to track through the rocky interior. It had just disappeared, like it had never even existed in the first place.
The adrenaline that pumped through their veins, hot and volatile, slowly dissipated. They continued to cast their gaze about the looming void, the intensity leeching from their stare along with it. Confusion replaced it in waves, their expression rippling as they realized they didn't know where they were, or even how they got here. They were breathing hard, like they had just been running, but that wasn't right. She'd just been with Zora, who she wasn't even sure could run yet.
Zora... Where was Zora?
She turned to look over her shoulder, back in the direction she should've come, but there was only darkness. That... also wasn't right. They turned to the side, finding more of the same. Not a single light penetrated the endless gloom, so thick that she couldn't even see the end of her nose. She could feel her heart thump, once, painfully against her chest but dismissed it as just being out of breath as they turned around and began to slink somewhat cautiously through the dark. They didn't want to trip and fall, after all.
Their chin slammed hard against the rocky ground, stars erupting behind their eyes. Cursing, they scrambled to pick themselves up, the ground beneath their paws oddly squishy. They glanced back more on instinct toward whatever had tripped them, not that they'd be able to see anything in this fucking cave, but see something they did.
They felt their heart thump, once, painfully against their chest. Then they felt it again. And again, and again, and again.
Lying directly in their path was a body. The fur was dark, but the sandy undersides and ginger points were unmistakable. They'd recognize her even in death.
The adrenaline that pumped through their veins, hot and volatile, slowly dissipated. They continued to cast their gaze about the looming void, the intensity leeching from their stare along with it. Confusion replaced it in waves, their expression rippling as they realized they didn't know where they were, or even how they got here. They were breathing hard, like they had just been running, but that wasn't right. She'd just been with Zora, who she wasn't even sure could run yet.
Zora... Where was Zora?
She turned to look over her shoulder, back in the direction she should've come, but there was only darkness. That... also wasn't right. They turned to the side, finding more of the same. Not a single light penetrated the endless gloom, so thick that she couldn't even see the end of her nose. She could feel her heart thump, once, painfully against her chest but dismissed it as just being out of breath as they turned around and began to slink somewhat cautiously through the dark. They didn't want to trip and fall, after all.
Zora?She called, ears straining past the surprisingly loud click of her nails against the hard floor.
Zo—Her paw caught on something, and Gladiator immediately tripped and fell.
Their chin slammed hard against the rocky ground, stars erupting behind their eyes. Cursing, they scrambled to pick themselves up, the ground beneath their paws oddly squishy. They glanced back more on instinct toward whatever had tripped them, not that they'd be able to see anything in this fucking cave, but see something they did.
They felt their heart thump, once, painfully against their chest. Then they felt it again. And again, and again, and again.
Lying directly in their path was a body. The fur was dark, but the sandy undersides and ginger points were unmistakable. They'd recognize her even in death.
Zora is allowed in any of Gladiator's threads