Before Amriel could respond, a sudden rustling in the undergrowth to their right caught her attention. Her hand dropped instinctively to the bone blade at her hip, body tensing as she prepared to face whatever new strangeness the Vale might present.
The foliage parted, and a familiar form burst through—Meeko. The massive forest cat moved with fluid grace, his silver-flecked coat shimmering in the Vale's ethereal light. Between his powerful jaws hung a creature unlike anything Amriel had ever seen.
It resembled a hare in its general size, but there all similarities ended. Its body was covered not in fur but in something that looked like a blend of grey chitin and brown scales. Six slender legs, delicate as a deer's but jointed like an insect's, dangled limply. The head—left intact, unlike Meeko's usual hunting trophies—bore several sets of faceted crystalline eyes that glared up at her like a spider.
"Meeko?" Amriel gasped, her shock at seeing her companion here momentarily overwhelming her fascination with his prey. "How did you—when did you—what in all the hells is that?"
The forest cat padded toward them with regal confidence, his silver eyes gleaming with self-satisfaction. He deposited his prize at Thalon's feet, then sat back on his haunches, tail curled neatly around his large paws as if awaiting approval.
"Excellent work," Thalon said, kneeling to examine the creature. He ran his fingers lightly over the scales, nodding with approval. "This is a Silfek, and a mature one at that. This will make a perfect offering."
Meeko's purr rumbled through the clearing, a sound too deep and resonant to come from an ordinary cat.
"You're not surprised to see him here?" Amriel demanded, struggling to process yet another inexplicable development. "I didn't think Meeko followed us through the gate?"
"He didn't." Thalon said and glanced up at her, those emerald eyes peered into her own again. "His kind have no need for gates. They can come and go as they please."
Amriel stared at her feline companion who she thought she knew. The large forest cat moved to her side and gently butted his head against her hand, his familiar gesture of affection unchanged despite these revelations.
"What do you mean 'his kind'?" she asked as she stroked Meeko's head and scratched behind his ears. The vibration of his purr traveled up her arm, settling somewhere beneath her ribcage.
"Those born of the Vale," Thalon replied, carefully lifting the bug-like creature. "They walk between realms as easily as you might cross a stream."
"Right. Of course he's not just a normal forest cat," Amriel muttered, "That would be just too mundane." She felt a bubble of hysterical laughter threatening to rise in her throat and swallowed it down.
Meeko peered up at her with his large silver eyes and chirped softly in agreement, his expression sphinx-like and insufferably smug. For an instant, Amriel would have sworn those eyes held the wisdom of centuries.
Thalon packed up the dead Silfek, carefully tucking its legs inside his pack, before he gestured toward the path ahead, "Come. We're nearly there."
The path widened as they pushed deeper into the Vale, winding through twisted trees whose bark seemed to pulse with veins of silver light. Amriel found herself stepping closer to Meeko, drawing comfort from his familiar presence despite the new mysteries surrounding him. The ground beneath their feet grew increasingly uneven, scattered with white stones that looked disturbingly like fragments of immense bones.
"So," Amriel began, breaking the oppressive silence that had fallen between them, "these friends of yours—the ones we're bringing this... offering to—who exactly are they?" She tried to keep her tone casual, but the strain in her voice betrayed her unease.
Thalon walked several paces ahead, his movements fluid despite the difficult terrain. "They are called the Dral'Mi—or Winged Terrors." he replied, his voice carrying a reverence that made Amriel's skin prickle. "They were ancient when the first of your kind stumbled upon this realm."
Winged Terrors? Amriel groaned inwardly, Really?
Before Amriel could press further, the trees abruptly gave way to a vast circular clearing. She froze at its edge, breath catching in her throat.
The clearing was dominated by a pool of liquid that glimmered like molten silver, its surface unnaturally still despite the gentle breeze that rustled through the clearing. Surrounding the pool stood seven stone pillars, each twice as tall as a man and covered in spiraling glyphs that seemed to shift when viewed from the corner of the eye.
Beyond the pool, the hillside rose sharply, its face a weathered canvas of granite and limestone veined with quartz that caught the silver light. Here, carved into the rock face, yawned a series of caves. The largest entrance gaped wide as a cathedral door, its edges unnaturally smooth as if melted rather than hewn. Smaller openings flanked it, some barely visible behind curtains of emerald moss and twisting vines.
"We're here," Thalon said, removing the Silfek from his pack and approaching the edge of the silver pool. "Stay close to me. Speak only when spoken to."
Amriel nodded, her hand instinctively reaching for the reassuring grip of her bone blade until Thalon's voice cut through her thoughts.
"And don't even think about touching that," he warned, his eyes flicking meaningfully to her weapon. "It won't do you much good anyway."
Her hand fell away, reluctantly abandoning the weapon. Instead, she sought the familiar comfort of the iron ring hanging from her neck. The metal grew warmer against her skin as they approached the pool.
Meeko pressed against her leg, his massive body suddenly tense, silver eyes fixed on the caves beyond the pool.
"They're watching us, aren't they?" Amriel whispered, feeling the weight of unseen eyes upon her.
Thalon's smile was thin. "They've been watching since before we entered the clearing." He knelt at the pool's edge and carefully placed the Silfek on a flat stone where water met earth. The dead creature's crystalline eyes seemed to catch the light, glinting with an illusion of life. Then he called out in an unfamiliar language—the words flowed like liquid music, rising and falling in patterns that made Amriel's ears ring pleasantly.
Within the darkness of the caves, beyond the silver pool, something stirred.
The air in the clearing around them seemed to thicken and grow heavy, as if the very atmosphere sensed what was coming. A profound silence descended upon the clearing—no birds called, no insects chirped, even the gentle rustling of leaves ceased entirely. The silver pool's surface, previously motionless, now rippled slightly though no wind blew. Tiny concentric circles spread outward from the center, as if responding to vibrations too subtle for human perception.
Amriel felt her lungs constrict, each breath requiring conscious effort. The iron ring at her throat pulsed with heat that bordered on painful, and the hair along her arms rose like needles. A scent like ozone and ancient stone drifted from the caves' maw, accompanied by a low, barely audible rumble that she felt more in her bones than heard with her ears.
"Thalon," she whispered, fighting the urge to back away, "what kind of friends did you say these were again?"
"The kind it's better to meet with respect than with fear," he replied without turning.
Meeko pressed harder against her leg, no longer growling but watching with an alertness that suggested even he was wary of these beings.
For three heartbeats—each thundering in her ears like a war drum—nothing emerged. Then a shadow within shadows shifted, deeper than the surrounding darkness.
"Stand tall," Thalon murmured from the corner of his mouth. "They respect courage."
"Easy for you to say," Amriel hissed back. "They're your friends."
"Friends was perhaps a strong word," he replied, and Amriel couldn't tell if the quirk of his lips was amusement or anxiety.
"What?" Her eyes snapped to him before darting back towards the cave.
"Let's just say we have an understanding," Thalon continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "They don't eat me, and I bring them interesting visitors and the occasional Silfek snack. It's worked out rather well for... oh, four centuries or so."
"Eat you?" Amriel sputtered, her fear momentarily replaced by indignation. "That's your definition of friendship?"
"In certain circles, not being devoured is the very height of cordiality," Thalon replied with a straight face, though his eyes danced with mischief even as tension filled the clearing. "Remind me to tell you about diplomatic relations with the VolBog Trolls sometime."
Just then, a sound emerged from the cave—like the sliding of metal against stone, but deeper, more resonant. It echoed around the clearing, seeming to come from all directions at once.
First came a talon—curved and gleaming like polished obsidian—gripping the edge of the cave entrance. It was followed by another, then another, until five claws had secured purchase on the stone.
Amriel swallowed hard, eyes traveling up to where the talons connected to what she assumed would be a foot or paw of some kind. But the appendage remained cloaked in shadow, its true size impossible to determine in the cave's gloom.
A warm, sulfurous breath washed over the clearing, carrying with it scents of amber, ancient dust, and something metallic that reminded Amriel of blood. The silver pool's surface danced with ripples now, responding to the unseen creature's proximity.
"Remember," Thalon whispered, leaning slightly toward her without taking his eyes off the cave entrance, "whatever you do, don't comment on their size. They're rather sensitive about it."
Before Amriel could process this bizarre advice—was he still joking at a time like this?—the darkness at the cave entrance rippled, preparing to reveal what lay within.