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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 13:19:25 GMT -6
Now that she knew where it was though, the vine was pretty easy to follow, being a lighter shade than the surrounding dark, thorny foliage. At first, Fiera thought that there were multiple invasive plants here. After all, there were thorny, woody brambles, bright, toxic tropical plants, and fuzzy, venomous leaves... but now that she was obligated to look at them, she realized that they might be all one plants. A branch of one would continue to snake along the ground and slowly segue into a third type, so on and so forth, like a massive web disguising itself as multiple living things. Fiera was... frankly amazed that anything not related to the plants- or perhaps, plant- could survive here. That fae was right to get someone to collect these lilies before they were gone. How long would it be before they were choked out too, with the rest of this garden?
Fiera 16 Donner 11.1/5.6 16
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 13:38:07 GMT -6
At least Fiera didn’t have to stay here long. Or least, she shouldn’t, she noted as she glanced up at the sky. She had admittedly left the house a little later than she should have, and the sun was starting to sink down in the sky. It would be night soon. She should probably- what was that? Fiera’s head snapped to the side, her ears rotating like satellite dishes to try and locate the sound she had just heard. A chill went down her spine and the fur prickled up a bit. It sounded like a rustling noise, as if something in the plants were moving... or maybe... the plants were...? “Donner, are you there?” Fiera called, not sure what answer she was hoping for. She didn’t hear anything else however, so she followed the vine again, eventually coming to a small clearing... of a sorts.
Fiera 17 Donner 11.2/5.7 17
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 13:54:06 GMT -6
It was less a clearing, and more... the other side of the garden. It looked like the ground had been completely chewed up her, with fresh soil upended everywhere. There wasn’t even any of the mulch spread around here, except for the occasional chip mixed in with the blended up dirt. On the far side of the clearing was the fence again, standing tall and imposing. And across from her, winding around the post of the fence, was that pale vine that Fiera had been following. And growing from it were several fresh, beautiful vernal lilies. “Finally!” Fiera exclaimed, marching across the bare dirt. She guessed it was probably empty round here in a last ditch effort to keep the encroaching plants from consuming the last of the lily flowers on the part of the gardener. Well, it had worked- maybe Fiera would be able to get out of here before sundown after all!
Fiera 18 Donner 11.3/5.8 18
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 15:00:47 GMT -6
Fiera swiftly got to work snipping off the blooms. She got down on one knee and took out her garden shears, snipping quickly and leaving a bit of stem on for the gardener fae to do what they wanted with. She put them into a small, waterproof plastic baggie she had brought with her, careful to not crush any of the flowers. She didn’t want her client to try knocking some dollars off of her bill for delivering damaged goods after all. Soon she had a full bag. She figured this would be sufficient and zipped it up, only to feel... a slight... tremor under her feet. “...what was that?” She murmured to herself, only for movement to catch her eye. The vernal lilies’ vines were moving! They slithered off of the fence like snakes, recoiling away from the humanish and into the brush. “Hey! Come back- what?” Fiera stammered, confused.
Fiera 19 Donner 11.4/5.9 19
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 15:37:44 GMT -6
She rushed over to where the plants disappeared into the brush and peered in. Sure enough, there were the vines. Were they mad that she had cut them? As she followed the line of the vine coiled up in the bush however, she noticed it changing shape, growing thorns, becoming... the humanish’s eyes widened as she resisted the urge to take a step back. So the vernal lilies were just another part of this mass of plants? But then that would mean... this place wasn’t overgrown with “invasive plants” at all. In fact, it was supposed to look like this. Why would they lie to her about that? What was the point? “What the hell is that old fae playing at?” She said, staring angrily before noticing a flash of white in the bushes as well. She reached out and nudged some branches to the side and... ah. Well.
That was a skull.
Fiera 20 Donner 12.0/6.0 20
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 15:52:31 GMT -6
Not a human skull, mind you. Based on the antlers jutting from the top and the flat teeth, she guessed it was a galabex. Still, it was picked completely clean. She wondered what could cause that briefly, only for a vine to snake up, shift the skull to one side, snap off an antler, and slither off with it. Ah. That explained that. Geez, so these plants were carnivorous as well as sharp and poisonous? No wonder that fae wanted tough people... to...
The vines shifting the galabex skull revealed something else slightly behind it. Fiera grabbed a stick, hoping she was wrong, and budged the galabex skull to the side. And right behind it... Fiera rocketed out of the bush at full speed, scooting as close to the center of the clearing as she could. Now that... THAT one was a human skull, she realized in horror, and slowly the pieces came together.
Fiera 1 Donner 12.1/6.1 21
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 16:02:23 GMT -6
God damn it. These plants were eating people! And... now that she thought of it, the fae didn’t actually specificy to bring a “dangerous” creature, just a “big” one. Presumably for more nutrients. Picking standoffish people... did they assume there would be no one that would wonder where she went? Well, there was. There was, uh... some people who’s names she’d think of later. And then the empty neighborhood... it wasn’t a “bad” area at all, that was clear now, but it was so empty... how many times had that fae pulled this scam? Were these flowers worth anything at all? No, the books she had found were legitimate... but she did admittedly skim the reasons WHY they were so rare and hard to acquire. Still, shit. She definitely had to get out of here, and... “Donner!” She shouted out loud in alarm. He had been freaking out this whole time!
Fiera 2 Donner 12.2/6.2 22
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 18:23:59 GMT -6
Which meant... he had likely figured this out long before her. He could smell blood quite easily, after all. “Yeah, I’m not going to die as fertilizer. Fuck this place. She snarled under her breath, and began marching back toward the path. Suddenly however, a rustling spread through the leaves like a sudden massive gust of wind (though the air was still), causing the plants to slam shut in front of her, forming an impenetrable wall of poisonous leaves and thorns. Fiera stumbled back, swearing loudly, before looking around. The fence! This was still salvageable- she’d just climb that, hop out the back, run around the front and grab Donner. Or... hopefully grab Donner, she thought with a twinge of regret. She pushed off against the soft soil and darted toward the fence, grabbing it and pulling herself up toward the spiked top. Now she realized it was more likely there to keep things in instead of out.
Fiera 3 Donner 12.3/6.3 23
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 18:30:02 GMT -6
As she reached towards the top unfortunately, she felt a tug around her ankle. She glanced back to see a vine wrapped around her ankle... and to see holes in the ground opening up. Massive roots churned up from under the earth, no doubt the source of that perfectly tilled patch of earth, likely using the lilies as a lure. Massive holes in the earth yawned wide as the soil was displaced while the roots searched around- likely looking for her. Another string of expletives was released from Fiera as she pulled hard against the vine, trying to yank herself out. That only seemed to encourage the roots, which honed in on her location, stretching out toward her. She snarled at them as best she could, but she was stuck- she couldn’t grab her knife without letting go of the fence, but she didn’t have the strength to pull herself up and over.
Fiera 4 Donner 12.4/6.4 24
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 18:51:03 GMT -6
Just then, the deathly hedges surrounding the clearing began rustling again. “Oh, what fresh hell is it NOW?!” Fiera screeched- only for Donner to leap from the brush, landing precariously atop one of the larger roots. She was shocked to see him- his face was a bit scratched and his coat was covered in burrs, but it looked like his thick fur and skin had protected him from the majority of what this hell-bramble had to offer. She would have loved to believe he had come to rescue her, but it was more likely he had been herded here by the lily, which was growing increasingly agitated. It took advantage of Fiera’s surprise at her pet’s sudden appearance however, and yanked on her ankle- hard. Fiera yelped and tried to hang on, but her surprise at seeing Donner had caused her to loosen her grip some, and she felt herself falling backwards.
Fiera 5 Donner 13.0/6.5 25
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 19:22:56 GMT -6
She hit the ground hard, in such a way that she knew that her back would be furious with her tomorrow (should there be a tomorrow- which wasn’t looking good at this point.). The sudden jolt of pain was enough to stun her for a moment, which was all the time the vines needed. Vines pushed down upon her and roots reached up, slowly dragging the humanish into one of the nearby pits once she was immobilized. She struggled valiantly, but fruitlessly. “Donner!” Fiera called, but the seeker was pretty preoccupied with not getting snagged by vines herself. Fiera struggled as she was dragged further and further into the pit, triggering the flashback you’re reading now, of course. She couldn’t really hope for Donner to come save her- seeker weren’t the most loyal, and any help he’d give would only be incidental in helping himself.
Fiera 6 Donner 13.1/6.6 26
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 19:27:31 GMT -6
Unfortunately, Fiera couldn’t quite reach the hunting knife in her back pocket, as tied up as she was. All she could do was watch as the light faded further and further from view. She managed to grab SOMETHING from her pocket, but her joy faded when it turned out to be a small flashlight. Well, better than nothing she thought as she clicked it on. She wished she hadn’t pretty much immediately as she saw what the roots were carrying her toward. A hulking mass of tubers sat at the center of a root-reinforced chamber. The center of it slowly peeled open, causing some sort of sticky brown liquid to spill down the sides. The roots flailed at the rough edges, almost resembling wriggling teeth at the edges of a gaping maw. Whatever this thing was... this was definitely the center of it, the spider at the center of the web.
Fiera 7 Donner 13.2/6.7 27
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 21:34:41 GMT -6
If also smelled a vaguely of... citrus? Lemons? Which would be pleasant if not for the fact that Fiera knew full well that lemons were acidic, and this thing smelled very, very strong. More than anything, Fiera was just annoyed. She’d come all this way, done all these things, just to get nonchalantly eaten by a potato? This sucked. At that moment however, a familiar sight appeared from one of the other tunnels. “Donner!” Fiera exclaimed with surprise. She noted that it didn’t look like the vines had to try very hard to get him down here. In fact, the roots seemed to be pushing back a little bit as he surged forward, his jaws dripping with plant juices that seemed... frozen... “That’s it!” Fiera exclaimed, a half remembered fact coming into her head. Snowtracker seekers were a cold dwelling breed that had downright freezing bites. And vernal lilies? Were tropical plants.
Fiera 8 Donner 13.3/6.8 28
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 21:41:59 GMT -6
“Go Donner, get it!” She cried excitedly, though he needed no encouragement. This had been just as bad a day for him as it was for Fiera. The seeker rushed forward, jaws wide, and leapt on top of the tuber, crunching down. It whipped its roots at him, but they could find no purchase on his slick fur, just pulling out tufts of undercoat. The tuber struggled as frost slowly crept across its surface, but its thrashing slowed the more Donner bit it, ripping off huge chunks of sticky vegetable matter. Fiera was straight up forgotten in the struggle, her roots abandoning her in favor of fighting off the interloper, and she was quick to leap up and grab her knife, slashing at whatever was in range. Within a few minutes all movement had slowed to a stop, and the roots and vines finally dragged and went limp. Fiera looked around, panting.
Fiera 9 Donner 13.4/6.9 29
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 3, 2021 21:45:48 GMT -6
“I think... I think we killed it?” She said, gently tugging on Donner’s leash and bringing the exhausted seeker above ground. They looked around to find the entire garden wilting around them before their very eyes. With its center killed, the rest of it had nothing to live off of. Fiera walked over to a withering patch and picked up the damaged galabex skull, trying not to look at its companion. A rare surge of sympathy ebbed through her. She had won, but who knew how many had failed? She should go to the cit guard.
...But then she wouldn’t get paid, so instead she decided to stick around for a few hours. She gave Donner the broken off antler as a treat, and when the fae returned to the garden they found Fiera and Donner sitting in front of the gate, the latter gnawing on his hard earned prize while Fiera gave them a hard gaze.
Fiera 10 Donner 14.0/7.0 30
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