The Watchers Prompt 1

Reginald led his group down the winding pathways of the Beneath, the dark and musty cave smelled of stagnant water and still air the deeper the group went. Following close behind him, Lianna and Kernel slowly trotted along. The trio was on their way to visit the next clan and a feeling of apprehension was making all of them nervous. The next clan was the Watchers, a notorious group known for their aloof and hostile demeanor. Reginald wasn't sure exactly how this encounter would go, he had full confidence in himself and in Lianna being able to approach the clan in a positive manner but Kernel on the other hand was another matter entirely. The annoying chaser was constantly blabbering and complaining about lord only knows what and so far every single time they had met anyone down here, the little idiot had managed to stick his foot in his mouth.

Reginald sighed inwardly as he could already feel the mental exhaustion looming before him but he forced his trepidation down. He wouldn't let the chaser ruin his diplomatic mission and decided that the added difficulty presented by Kernel's presence must just be another test presented to him by his majesty. The group continued deeper and deeper through the winding tunnels until the cave they were in suddenly opened up. The group found themselves standing on a narrow and dimly lit path that stretched out into the darkness before them. The only reason they knew the path continued was thanks to the tiny light purple stones that dimly glowed along the path just enough to illuminate the dark stone. The barely perceptible light only added to the tension the trio felt as they cautiously continued out into the void. The trio slowly made progress along the dark path until Reginald made them all stop. He frowned and tilted his head upwards, did he hear something? ... It was impossible to tell with Kernel loudly complaining about them stopping. In annoyance the runner roughly slapped Kernel across his muzzle effectively telling him to shut up.

The chaser silently glared at the runner, who he could barely even see due to Reginald's dark coloration nearly perfectly blending into their pitch black surroundings. Now that they were finally standing in silence Reginald could hear an odd sound echoing somewhere. It was incredibly faint, barely more than an imperceptible vibration in the air but its rhythm gave it away. Reginald silently gestured for his companions to follow him slowly, which neither of them saw but once the runner continued on again the two quickly followed behind not wanting to be abandoned out here. After a few more paces forward the group noticed their surroundings getting slightly brighter. The sparse crystals that dotted the path were becoming more frequent and it almost felt like the cave up ahead was lighter. The faint rhythmic sound that Reginald detected was slowly getting louder and  louder the further they went, reassuring the runner that he hadn't been imagining it.

Before long the trio found themselves in a vast open space that was brightly illuminated by large clusters of the purple crystals. Now that they could see clearly, they were able to see that the narrow path they had been traveling down wasn't actually a narrow precipice and the floor of the cave on either side of the path was only a few feet lower and didn't really pose any actual danger. This realization made Lianna chuckle with relief while it only served to fuel Kernel's growing annoyance with this dinghy place. Continuing on, the group were shocked when they realized that the ceiling of the vast cave chamber actually seemed to be cracked. Blindingly bright beams of light shot down into the cave illuminating a breathtaking sight the group hadn't expected to see so far below the surface. Stretching out before them was a massive crevasse filled to the brim with bizarre trees and dense foliage. Along the top of the crevasse the group could see what appeared to be a series of ledges and rock formations jutting out oddly from the walls and ceiling high above them. As the group took in the stunning sight before them, they could hear the same sound from before much clearer this time.

As they scanned their surroundings Lianna suddenly spotted a shadow dart along the path above them. She pointed it out to her companions who also stared up in shock as they saw a dark shadow rapidly making its way toward them. As he watched the shadow Reginald quickly made the assumption that they were finally seeing a member of the Watcher clan for the first time. Determined to not miss this chance, the runner dashed forward toward the closest cave wall and quickly found a pathway leading up toward the lofty treetops of cavernous forest. Kernel and Lianna quickly stumbled after him, neither of them were as coordinated or fast as the runner and they struggled to keep up with Reginald's breakneck pace as he skillfully leapt and maneuvered his way up to the shadow they had seen. Lianna quickly came to the conclusion that it would be easier for her to fly, especially since the vast cavern provided ample room for her to fly around so with a few strong beats of her wings the empyrian took to the air above Kernel.

The pink chaser exclaimed in frustration as he realized he was going to get left behind at this rate and grit his teeth as began to pump his short legs as fast as he could in order to catch up with the rapidly disappearing runner and tyrian. Meanwhile Reginald was rapidly gaining on the shadow that was gracefully maneuvering across the gaps in the path and along the canopy of the forest. He wasn't sure if the shadow had noticed him yet but that mattered little as the runner did everything in his power to catch up to the now clearly discernible haedian. With another graceful leap Reginald crossed a very large gap between the tree limbs and was about to call out to the haedian when he suddenly realized the tyrian had darted further ahead. Stunned by the sudden distance Reginald realized the haedian was fully aware of his presence, was it trying to run away from him? No if it was, then all it had to do was spread its vestigial wings and glide down between the trees and then the runner wouldn't be able to follow. Then was it challenging him to a race? Between breaths the runner scoffed, the denizens of The Beneath were an odd bunch, their culture and practices had been nothing but foreign and strange to him since he descended below the surface but he swore to himself that he wouldn't allow himself to fail this alleged test.

Reginald lengthened his stride even more and began to bound across the path before him at an insane speed that even Lianna struggled to keep up with. Above the runner Lianna furiously pumped her wings, willing herself to fly faster as she struggled to keep up with the insanely athletic runner. A sudden thought occurred to her and she glanced back to check on Kernel and was momentarily shocked to realize they had left the chaser behind. The tyrian felt guilty as she wondered if she should turn back and try to find the pink chaser but she quickly decided against it as she followed Reginald along another twist in the canopy path. If she turned back here there was no guarantee she would be able to find Reginald again. At the pace the runner was going  he could end up miles away if she was delayed too long. The empyrian sent a silent apology back to the chaser as she focused all her attention on Reginald who almost seemed to be flying as well with the ease he traversed between the jagged rock outcrops and tree limbs.

The haedian the surface dwellers were chasing sweated nervously as he realized the runner was rapidly gaining on him. He had been observing the trio since they entered the Watchers territory from the precipices far above the dark path the group had followed. He had a feeling the runner was the most capable of the group but this was proving to be more than he bargained for. With determination not to lose the haedian employed every technique and short cut he knew of as he led the group of topsiders toward the heart of their domain.

Far back behind the rapid racers Kernel found himself struggling to bridge the massive gaps the others had so easily cleared. His legs were far shorter than the haedian and runners and he struggled to build up enough momentum to clear the gaps and keep running between them. The chaser found himself pausing to gather all his strength in order to just barely leap between the branches of the canopy. As he once more just barely made it across yet another massive gap the chaser screamed curses in frustration at his companions who had long since vanished between the tree limbs ahead. He couldn't believe that they had just left him behind like this and with each barely crossed gap and near death struggle to not plummet to his death Kernel found himself on the verge of tears. Finally the chaser sat down, panting heavily from both the exhaustion of trying to keep up and the adrenaline of almost falling between the gaps repeatedly. He grit his teeth angrily as he slashed as the exceptionally hard wood of the tree limb beneath him while swearing like a sailor. If only the useless empyrian they had brought with them was bigger he could have made Lianna give him a ride, then he wouldn't have been left on his own!

Wait a minute... hitch a ride? Kernel paused in his tantrum as an outlandish idea occurred to him. He took a deep breath closing his eyes and focused on imagining a clear image of a shield in his mind. Once he had the image, the chaser activated his magic and with a flash of golden light a magnificent shield manifested in front of the chaser. He smiled at his reflective creation proudly, admiring his own reflection briefly before he quickly willed the shield to move around him. The shield quickly moved in a tight orbit around the chaser a few times before the chaser willed it to launch forward. At his command the magical shield shot forward in the blink of an eye clearing the gaps between the branches with ease. This just might work... he pulled his shield back to himself and had it rest on the tree limb beside himself. With a nervous breath the chaser shakily stepped onto the shield. It wobbled ominously under his weight as he carefully balanced himself on the rounded surface. Okay... now for the moment of truth. The chaser closed his eyes and willed for the shield to rise. He cracked open one of his eyes nervously when he didn't feel himself plummet to his death and when he realized that he was successfully floating a few feet above the tree limb on his shield Kernel laughed triumphantly. With a cheeky grin and a loud Awhoop! of victory, the pink chaser launched himself like a bullet after his companions.

Lianna thought she heard a noise from somewhere behind her as she desperately beat her wings. She couldn't be sure as the main thing battering in her ears was the unpleasant combination of the wind whipping past, the blood roaring in her ears, and her own embarrassingly loud gasping breaths. A good distance ahead of her, Reginald and the Watcher haedian were running side by side along the path neither giving the slightest bit of lead to the other. Reginald was finally beginning to tire as he wondered just how far he would have to keep going when he noticed what looked like a structure coming into view up ahead. What looked like a castle gate stretched down from the ceiling and beyond that Reginald could just barely make out what appeared to be upside down houses carved from massive stalactites dangling from the ceiling and an intricate network of tree houses connected by rope bridges. That gate must be the finish line! With renewed energy Reginald surged forward, barely making contact with the path beneath him as he launched himself toward the goal. He quickly left the haedian behind, much to the Watchers' astonishment, and rapidly approached the castle gate. As he drew closer he could see the shapes of other Watcher clan haedians standing around the gate. He could tell they were eagerly watching the groups approach and he smiled to himself as he could practically taste his victory.

A loud sound unlike anything the group had ever heard before was slowly growing behind them. Lianna looked around in confusion as she tried to locate the source of the noise while also furiously trying to keep up with the leaders who were rapidly leaving her behind. The sound got louder and louder as the source rapidly closed in on her, she glanced back over her shoulder and when she saw what was approaching her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Screaming like a mad man with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth Kernel was rapidly shooting toward her while screaming. Before she could even comprehend what she was seeing, the pink chaser shot past her narrowly clipping the green empyrians long feathered tail. She let out a startled noise as she tried to right herself in the air, much to the chasers delight as he rapidly closed in on Reginald and the Watcher haedian. The Watcher haedian who was already struggling with the realization that he was about to lose to the runner nearly fell through the canopy when the chaser darted past him on a brightly glowing flying shield. Reginald stared in shock as Kernel blasted past him and through the castle gates a single bound before the runner could cross the finish line. He knew the chaser excelled in defensive magic but he had no idea the annoying little pink dolt could use it in such a creative manner. Reginald came to a stumbling stop just inside the gate, followed closely by the Watcher haedian and last but not least Lianna. The three of them sat gasping for breath as they stared at Kernel who had crash landed spectacularly in the center square of a cluster of houses.

Members of the Watchers clan and the surface dwellers stared at the pink chaser in incredulous disbelief as Kernel bounced to his feet and loudly celebrated his turn around victory none of them expected.