Sympathy for the Outcast - The Forgotten: Part 3

Sympathy for the Outcast
The Forgotten: Part 3

   Getting the green light from the leader of The Forgotten herself, Eshin and Meline had a bit of trouble with containing their excitement. Eshin extended his paw for a high-five when Meline had let out a joyful squeal, after which she gladly responded to Eshin’s gesture. Some of the party members tilted their heads - this was their first time seeing such an odd gesture, but they decided to keep that in mind. Hearing that she gets to keep her outfit on a little longer, Aethone instructed a nearby Haedian to help her fasten some ropes around her neck and waist, just to make sure the camouflaging cape wouldn’t come off too easily. Troall cleared her throat to get the attention back on her.

“There’s just one more thing. Our clan uses certain paw gestures to communicate without alerting our presence, I shall teach you these before we head out. The rest of you have time to make your own preparations while I educate the foreigners.”

   The clan members followed the order, scurrying away between the pillars and tents, while Troall sat down and began to explain some of the gestures they had come up with over the time. Meline and Eshin could mimic multiple of them with ease, even though their forelimbs had only two toes, not five long ones like Haedians did, but poor Aethone found it near impossible to muster up the gestures clearly enough with her short yet very mobile toes, which were almost completely covered by her long leg fluff anyway. Well, at least she could understand if the Haedians had the need to communicate while en route.

   It didn’t take long till the group of raiders had gathered once again, air now clearly bustling of energy. Since Scarface had provided some information of the surrounding clans, they had picked a clan called The Druids to visit. Having agreed on the paths of approach, the raiders divided into three subgroups - one following Aethone, second following Meline and Eshin while the third bunch remained with Troall as a back-up team. Aethone took the lead of her team and started heading in the right direction while Eshin and Meline finished wrapping up their previously acquired tent tarps to carry them along, after which they went in another direction to approach the clan of Druids from the other side. The Empyrians had only a couple of Haedians with them for assistance as the majority went with Aethone. Troall headed for the narrow tunnel with her team, as they first intended to cross the border of another clan before approaching their target clan. At this point, everyone had already forgotten about Cailu, who still kept an eye on the action from a safe distance without interfering as the visitors from the world above seemed to be making friends with the banished ones relatively easily.

   One reason why Troall decided to let the visitors take charge was to test their navigating abilities, as she wanted to see out of curiosity if they could handle it in her world. If they’d fail, then in a way that’d be quite entertaining to watch. The second reason, perhaps more important one, was to have unfamiliar faces to blame if they were to get caught. Betting on the idea of other clans not being aware of the strange new creatures down here, she was pretty certain that The Druids trying to figure out what they’re looking at would be a pretty damn good distraction on its own. Still, she hoped Meline’s master plan would play out in their favor as the prank was something the Haedians can’t replicate.

   Thanks to Aethone’s excellent memory, she had no trouble passing the maze of numerous tunnels, openings, pillars, boulders and countless glowing crystals. Troall had sketched a quick map on the cave floor before, which Aethone had perfectly memorized. She was also extremely careful as she moved forward with the Haedians following her - making sure she steps as softly as possible while stopping behind corners to listen for any sounds up ahead. The Haes following her seemed content the way this massive Puller, wrapped in torn garb, took them closer and closer to the clan. Meanwhile, Meline and Eshin had just a little bit of trouble reaching consensus at some crossroads. Since they wished to remain as silent as possible to avoid detection, they had to exchange comical gestures and expressions when pointing the way or trying to convince the other of the right path. The Haes following them didn’t mind the free circus, only correcting their two leaders, amused grins on their faces, if they happened to take the wrong turn. Fortunately, all went well and the three subunits reached their positions in time. Now the fun could begin.

   Meline and Eshin had the primary performance. With the help of their companions, they unwrapped the tarps and put them over their heads, having the fabric cover them entirely. Since both costumes had countless worn and torn holes in them, the Empyrians had plenty of eye holes to look out from. They looked like some odd dark ghosts, and that was exactly their intention. Barrel holding back laughter, they took off, flying over the forest below them while making eerie sounds.

   Aethone and her group could see the disguised Empyrians starting the show. Thanks to the dim light and shade cast by the trees below, it was definitely difficult to tell what had come to haunt the Druids. Only the fluffy Persian and forked Frilled tails gave away what’s really hiding under the sheets, but the Druids definitely didn’t focus on that detail. To Eshin’s and Meline’s joy, the Druids were extremely confused by their appearance and started fussing around, trying to take cover or run somewhere further away from the unknown terror. The distraction worked, so Aethone turned her gaze towards Troall’s assumed position. Seeing her there, enjoying the show and being entertained by the chaos unfolding before her, Troall took a moment to glance towards Aethone and made the hand signs to let the Vayron know Meline’s idea worked and they could move in. Aethone gestured to her group to move ahead with a nod and started sneaking deeper into the Druids’ territory first. She did a pretty good job staying out of sight, considering her size, but before she could reach the first nest one Haedian suddenly appeared in front of her and upon seeing her, everyone froze at the spot. The Haedians following Aethone were well hidden (mostly just behind her), but Aethone was out in the open, face-to-face with a scared Druid. Before she could react, the Druid opened its mouth and screamed:

“Oh dear Oracle, there’s one more! One angered spirit walks among us! Everybody, clear out, clear out! Back to the Oracle!”

   And with that, the Haedian turned around and disappeared between the trees, leaving a puzzled Aethone and giggling members of the Forgotten behind. She definitely didn’t mean to actively participate in the pranking, but thanks to her garb she did resemble the dark menacing figures flying around above them, so no wonder one of the Druids didn’t bother to have a closer look at her. Shrugging it off, but still grinning at the funny situation, Aethone trotted on, snickering Haedians closely behind her while Meline and Eshin continued drawing attention to themselves with this childish, yet mostly harmless mischief.