Difference between revisions of "Log:Actual and Factual"

3 December, 2018

Charlie goes in search of ingredients, and is met with a hedge worm.

Hedge Maze

Raymond was sleeping in the loft for the night, too tired to go back home. Luckily enough Sunday is always night at grandma's and grandpa's. In turn he gets to sleep the next day away, at least until the middle of the afternoon. Before passing out for the night he mentioned to Charlie that he still needed a few other things for what he's doing. Any kind of resin or fat from something in the hedge, and something made of sand. Anything could and would do on that latter need.

A lovely -whole- night all cuddled up. Given a shopping list, she drifts off to sleep. Waking a fair bit earlier than he, she gets a hearty breakfast put together of heat-n-serve sausage, waffles, and some scrambled eggs. Keepin' it classy. Coffee washes it down.

Sand. Fat. Resin. She saw some trees.. no, no, can't go alone. But she's -itching- to, and the urge to run and hunt wars with the desire to surprise Ray with the goodies he needs. She makes it an hour before she disappears through the door to the Hollow, to the Hedge.A treecan't befar,right? She takes with her a few things to collect resin or sap and some baggies in cause she gets some sand.

Outside the Hollow Changeling and Hedge Beast go, and it's cold as sin. Snows raining down like mad, but it isn't quite cold enough for it to build up. Yet. This early in the morning she can easily hear and smell the life of the hedge moving out and about without a care past their natural cycles. The faux suburbs around them aren't the best place to look, but she can remember from when Raymond took her out here last time a maze and even a lake are further toward the north.

The lake will have trees near it, surely. "C'mon, Siggy, let's go find some tree juice for Ray." she says, ruffling the Beasts ears and starting off in the direction of where the maze was, and the lake. "I can't wait to see his face. 'Good morning, love! I got the Hedge shopping done.'" She beams a bright, toothy smile at the sooty pup, hefting the backpack she stuffed the items into.

Finding her way through the winding, snaking roads of the illusory suburb proves easy enough for both Signe and Charlie. From there comes the more painful exercise of the maze. Both finding her way out, and finding the sources of the things she's searching for. High above she can make out several large, bird-like creatures flying above that leave even more snow in their way going north by northeast. Further along and inside the maze she can make out constant chittering from something inside there, but currently unseen.

"Ray said the maze doesn't like it if you cheat. What do you think he meant by that, Signe?" she asks, turning to set her path onto the maze. Senses are on high alert - head up and listening, sniffing, even tasting the air when she pulls in breath through parted lips. "It WOULD be a lot faster to climb up and cut across..."

Charlie can get up to the top of the maze easily enough. Signe, not so much. The dog is more fighting the maze and gravity, and needs Charlie to help her up just that little bity more. At the top she can hear that chittering again. Louder and closer, but nowhere to be seen aside from somewhere inside the maze.

Charlie is glad enough to help the pup up onto the hedge of the maze. The sound is disturbing - she dislikes it without needing to know the source of it. "You know what that is, Sig?" she asks, looking for the lake from this height to try and pick a path across.

They can hear it all around them, but it doesn't seem to have an initial source. At least one that's easy enough to find. Then she can make it out. Just barely. Something moving within the greenery of the maze. After a while it's clear. It is the maze, or at least part of it moving until something brusts out of the greenery behind her. It could pass for a sname made of thorn and thistle if it weren't for the many, many clicking and clacking legs on its side.

Signe takes a moment to snarl and get the adrenaline flowing, bulking up with added strength under the fur - muscles knotting amd cording. Charlie doesn't wait, lunging forward atop tue hedge maze to rake her claws along the chitonous exterior of the multilegged menace.

The beast roars in pain when under attack from the beasts. The teeth of Signy and the claws of Charlie doesn't feel the slightest big good. It doesn't lash out, but it summons up more of the hedge-stuff to grow taller and taller, hissing at the pai. While all of the focus is on the beast it brings about thorns and greenery to obstruct and annoy the interlopers that wished to go above the maze.

The vines make it impossible for the pair to reach the centipede. Tearing at the vines, Charlie is outclassed easily and even the super pup snarls with frustration and they're both lashed by the thorns.

The thing growls. Hisses? Ruffles it's leaves? It's hard to say with all the wind and greenery and snow all around the place. It slithers and skitters forward. The mandibles aren't at her throat, but many of those claws rake against her skin and cut through clothing.

The shadow wolf gives it another go, seeing an opening in the waving vines. Once more she comes uo with her mouth full of vines, spitting them out. A worried whine comes from the small wolf. Charlie doesn't like that worried sound and stra9ghtens to her fullnheight, leaning forward and snarling savagely, displaying her teeth and claws to the beast as a threat.

The hedge beast was looking for another attack, but when she growls at it the creature pauses. At least enough that it rears back for a moment, but then the canine hedge beast tries to snap at it. It coils around, rising up to look at her in surprise then the dog.

Charlie hisses at Signe. "Go! Get down! I'll follow." ready to bring up the rear for the smaller Hedge Beast, the way a proper pack leader should. Giving Signe a chance to escaoe while taking a more cautious path to retreat.

Getting down is a lot harder than getting up. Easy enough usually, but with all the chaos the hedge beast causes it becomes that much harder. Charlie and the beast do get down, though, tripping just a bit. However, they don't end up hurting anything on the way down, and making a bit of headway back.

Down is good! Bleeding in the Hedge? Not so great. "Sorry I can't heal you the way I used to be able to." Charlie says, knowing Siggy got shaken up a bit. And nevermind her own bleeding claw scrapes and tears. "Is it bad I don't wanna go back empty handed? I hate to.. he's going to ground me or something." Maaaaaaaan.

It takes a good bit of time to find her way back out of the maze. She's enough time for her and Signe to lick their wounds, as it were, but they can still hear that chittering. Behind. In front. To either side. There isn't a moment of quiet between the crunch of snow underfoot and the hedge beast's presence. An hour passes, but she does find her way back out eventually.

That constant chittering keeps then moving, even if it isn't always in the right direction. By the time they get out of the maze, Charlie's tuckered out and the blood has dried - though the scent still lingers on her, coppery and distinct. Rubbing the pup's ears, she lets out a sigh. "I wonder if that was because we tried to cheat." she murmurs. "We gotta find something to take back. Ray's gonna be pissed as it is. Might already be awake." Damnit.

Making sure not to go back-empty handed could mean danger still, but at least she was out of the maze and away from that dangerous, snaking beast. The snow still falls down, and things are cold as a witch's tit. At least it isn't freezing. Small miracles and all that.

Going back to and past the suburbs came with the usual attention. Eyes to be found in windows, things scurrying about in the shadows. Those wandering gazes offer potential information, and god knows what the smaller thing abound do to survive out here. Especially when winter's chill sinks in.

Nothing catches her eye, not until she's given up and turned back the way they came to. "What do you think of those, Signe?" she muses, turning towards one of the buildings with a watcher looking out. "Er, excuse me? Do you speak?" Seems as good a place to start as any, really. And she doesn't have to get very close to ask.

A pair of eyes greets the approaching pair. As they near it they can see the occupant of the home. It might've seemed easy enough that the eyes looking at them were from a taller, humanoid thing, but when they can get a decent look inside it's at a creature hanging upside down with its curious, blue gaze pointed down to them. "Yes, I speak!" it exlaims angrily. "Why wouldn't I speak!?"

"I.. don't know? Not everything I've seen in her talks." Charlie says, glancing to the shadow wolf at her side. "Anyway, do you know where I might be able to find some sand from a thing? A living thing, I think. Or some special tree sap or resin?"

"That depends.' He hangs there still, only revealing the upper half of its body. It rubs its hands together greedily, and soon sets them behind its back. "Whatcha got? I know some of you halflings got stuff from ironside, and information ain't free."

"I have, um..." Baggies for putting sand or resin in. She ponders, then oh's, pulling out the little knapped obsidian blade she uses for cutting herbs and things. Brought with her for harvesting sap if she found a good tree for it. It's got an antler handle and is bound into place with rawhide strips. "Will this work?"

The hob takes a few moments to answer, but eventually Charile gets a response when it comes down a bit further. It looks like the hob is only wearing a pear of leathery shorts, and it's hard to see what it's holding itself up with. The window comes up and the beast hugs itself to stave off the invading cold. "Deal!" it shouts, making grabby hands at the dagger.

Charlie tucks the delicate blade into the rawhide sheath and passes it over, stepping closer to the hob to do so. "They break easily, but there's nothing sharper that I know of." That last bit being the important part. "Now, where can I find the things I'm looking for?" And never you mind the blood, mister.

The creature immediately removes the blade from the sheath, examining it with contented joy. He shoves it back in, and then tucks the sheathed blade into his shorts. "Beach-eaters near the lake. Eat lots of sand. Bellies full of it if you wanna cut 'em open."

"How do you get to the lake from here?" she asks, looking around, frowning faintly. At least he seems happy with the sharp bit of rock and antler. And she has ideas for bringing trade goods across when she travels.

"Back out where you came from. Through the gardens and the maze." He nods several times over. Completely sure of it. "Then you just go north. You keep going north for a while. It's a long while, but that goes to the lake. After that it's just eight-legged endings, and a few dozen paces north still and then east." From the sound of it all this isn't a quick walk in teh park, and it's already getting into the afternoon now.

That was the answer she was afraid of. "Perfect, thanks." A glance to the sky and she sighs. "Best get back home." she says softly, ruffling Signe's ears and turning away from the home to head back towards the Hollow. She might not have anything of actual import, but, she knows where they can go to get it. That's something.