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Post by Fanged on Apr 9, 2022 7:40:04 GMT -6
Deciding it would be better not to directly touch the scarecrow, Fanged looked around as she tried to find a branch or a rock. Something she could either poke it with or throw at it. Ingrid helped her look. The Malii was quick to locate a sturdy enough branch that had broken free from one of the nearby trees. The woman retrieved it and stood a good distance away from the scarecrow. Deciding again poking it, Fanged instead simply chucked the branch at the scarecrow, aiming for the fireworks at its base. As expected, the fireworks immediately burst into action. It was a bit difficult to see them properly in the morning light, but their red sparks touched against the straw of the scarecrow and immediately set them ablaze. Thankfully, the suddenly raging inferno seemed to remain contained to the vicinity of the scarecrow. Fanged had a feeling the setup had intended to be a trick.
(Ingrid 17 3/5, 41 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Apr 9, 2022 7:43:46 GMT -6
Fanged had a feeling the setup had intended to be a trick. Fanged and Ingrid casually stepped past the blaze to explore the garden behind it. They found a few plants and flowers in bloom. Some of them were brightly coloured while others were dull and brown. They soon found themselves at an entrance to a row of hedges. If Fanged had to guess, she presumed this was meant to be a maze. They were quite commonly depicted in fiction, though she had yet to actually experience one herself. Before she could make the choice to enter, Ingrid darted quickly into the maze, her tails waving in excitement. Fanged rolled her eyes and followed close behind, not wanting to lose sight of the Malii. Ingrid could move fast when she wanted to. But Fanged was not so shabby herself. It didn’t take the duo long to hit a dead end.
(Ingrid 17 4/5, 41 4/5)
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Yang
Flea Market Artist
Posts: 1,001
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Post by Yang on Apr 9, 2022 9:53:18 GMT -6
Something can be spotted tucked away...
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Post by Fanged on Apr 9, 2022 19:11:34 GMT -6
Ingrid turned back and waved Fanged onward. The Malii led her deeper into the maze, and soon they came upon a large circular clearing. There was a stone pedestal in the middle of the circle. Fanged felt immediately suspicious and she glanced around for another item she could use to touch the pedestal. There wasn’t anything so if she wanted to investigate further, she’d need to take a risk without extra protective material. Ingrid didn’t have such qualms. She moved forward and began to sniff at the stone pedestal as she tried to figure out what it was. Fanging watched as Ingrid sniffed at the pedestal. It looked like a slab of stone with a strange pattern carved into it. A pattern that seemed to form a face. The Malii's ears perked up as she focused on the face. There was an indentation in the middle of the face and Ingrid pushed her muzzle against it.
(Ingrid 18, 43)
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Yang
Flea Market Artist
Posts: 1,001
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Post by Yang on Apr 9, 2022 22:36:08 GMT -6
Something can be spotted tucked away...
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Post by Fanged on Apr 9, 2022 22:39:51 GMT -6
When the Malii pressed it, a clicking noise sounded and a compartment swung open to reveal a hidden egg. Fanged found the entire endeavor to be rather odd, but she wasn’t about to leave it behind. She quickly scooped up the egg and placed it inside her backpack with the others. She then headed back towards the entrance, eager to see what else the garden had to offer. She didn’t think the maze would contain anything else of interest. The next area was much more welcoming than the previous one. This time there was no strange scarecrow and it was surrounded by wildflowers. Ingrid took a moment to stop and sniff at the flowers. Their floral aroma was delightful and even Fanged could catch the scent as they moved through the field of flowers. There were all kinds of different flowers, some of which Fanging recognized and others that she had never seen before.
(Ingrid 18 1/5, 43 1/5)
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Yang
Flea Market Artist
Posts: 1,001
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Post by Yang on Apr 10, 2022 12:46:24 GMT -6
Something can be spotted tucked away...
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Post by Fanged on Apr 10, 2022 13:53:07 GMT -6
Hiding among the flowers was another egg. Fanged quickly retrieved it and placed it with the others. Ingrid looked up briefly, disinterested in the eggs and eager to move further into the garden. Fanged followed the Malii as she darted off in a zigzag path. She had caught the scent of some small critter and was busy stalking it through the flowers. As they moved deeper into the garden, Fanged began to notice that the flowers were changing colours into more outlandish kinds. A nearby flower was bright yellow with red polka dots. Another was purple with pink stripes. It seemed like something straight out of a children’s colouring book.
“A little odd, don’t you think?” Fanged muttered to Ingrid.
The Malii paused her hunt and looked up at Fanged. She tilted her head for a moment before returning to what she was doing. The woman was a bit more skeptical, she bent down to examine the flowers.
(Ingrid 18 2/5, 43 2/5)
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Yang
Flea Market Artist
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Post by Yang on Apr 10, 2022 21:49:46 GMT -6
Something can be spotted not too far off...
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Post by Fanged on Apr 10, 2022 22:46:34 GMT -6
The Malii then darted forward, disappearing into a clump of bushes as she pursued the critter she had been chasing. Fanged turned to follow her, frowning as she worried a little of something happening to the Malii. After a short distance, she heard the sound of rustling bushes and saw Ingrid running towards her. Fearing that something might have happened, Fanged rushed over to her side. Instead of being harmed, Ingrid appeared quite happy as she revealed the small critter hanging from her jaws. It was a clean kill, but Fanged still couldn’t distinguish quite what it was. She presumed that it was probably safe for the Malii to have, but the creature made no move to eat her kill. The woman didn’t quite know what to think of this development, but decided instead to simply delve deeper into the garden. The flowers around them began to grow larger in size, abnormally so.
(Ingrid 18 3/5, 43 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Apr 10, 2022 22:52:27 GMT -6
The colours also grew more vibrant. It was almost as if the garden itself was trying to draw them in further. Fanged eventually decided to stop and look around. She was quick to spot another strange egg. She had quite the collection at this point, not that she would dream of complaining about that. Ingrid was happily plodding along, her kill still dangling from her mouth. Fanged was curious to get a closer look, but she didn’t dare try and pry the small critter away from Ingrid. The two wandered deeper into the flower patch. Before long, the flowers were coming up to Fanged’s thighs. The scene was a little unnerving, but Fanged didn’t think the flowers were harmful. Fanged moved on to examine the flowers further. There were a lot of them, and she wasn't sure where to begin. She picked up one of the smaller ones and examined it closely.
(Ingrid 18 4/5, 43 4/5)
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Yang
Flea Market Artist
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Post by Yang on Apr 11, 2022 11:08:17 GMT -6
Something can be spotted, tucked away...
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Post by Fanged on Apr 11, 2022 17:26:51 GMT -6
Hidden in the patch of flowers was another egg. Fanged didn’t know why these kept showing up, but she still felt compelled to collect them. When she had carefully hidden the egg away, she followed Ingrid in investigating the garden. The flowers were starting to cover the entire area, and Fanged wondered if she should even bother going deeper. Ingrid seemed to be growing bored as well. There didn't appear to be anything here for them. Fanged had just begun to turn back when she spotted a large tree. It was easily as tall as the surrounding hedges. A single path led straight up to the top of the tree, and Fanged felt compelled to follow it.
“Seems a bit odd to have a path going up a tree. That can’t be even remotely natural,” she remarked to Ingrid.
The Malii followed her as the two stepped onto the path.
(Ingrid 19, 45)
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Post by Fanged on Apr 11, 2022 17:39:18 GMT -6
Fanged thought about it for a second before deciding to follow Ingrid's lead and heading up the path. When the woman squinted, she could see a door hidden away in the thick foliage of the tree. Ingrid had spotted it as well and the two made their way over towards it. The door was smaller than a normal door and she had to crouch if she wanted to enter through it. The entire entrance was covered in bright, red roses and Fanged had to carefully maneuver her hand so that she didn’t accidentally touch a thorn. She opened the door and the two stepped through. They entered into a small room. There was a large window on one wall, and a desk with a chair in front of it. There was also a small bed tucked away in the corner. Surprisingly, this room was connected to others via additional doors.
(Ingrid 19 1/5, 45 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Apr 11, 2022 17:43:51 GMT -6
There was a small hallway leading to the right and a slightly larger one heading left. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and Fanged immediately noticed that each book was different. She could tell that many of the titles were written in a language she did not understand. She didn’t quite understand how this room could be connected in so many ways, but she supposed that they must have entered back into the interior of the mansion.
“Don’t give me that look, I’m not interested in any of these books,” she told Ingrid.
The Malii had looked at her in annoyance as though she expected her to waste their time reading books that she couldn’t understand. Ingrid decided to explore on her own and she took the hallway on the left. She glanced up at Fanged briefly and indicated to the woman that she should try exploring the other one.
(Ingrid 19 2/5, 45 2/5)
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