wolfe

Camping. The very idea had been a glorious one; or so you thought. What had once been a fun, well thought out, idea had suddenly turned into something most foul. You now found yourself lost, mind you, hopelessly lost in the woods. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, if the weather hadn't turned or if the wind wasn't trying to bowl you over, you could find your way out and back to your car? Maybe. A big maybe. It had come to the point where you were now fearing that the very trees surrounding you were going to be ripped out of the ground, pulled up by the roots, just by the rough conditions of the winds that slapped at you and everything around you.

And just as you thought that it couldn't get any worse... A sign of salvation loomed out of the twisting, howling winds and bending pines. A large cavern rested, smug, against the darkness. However, it did not seem welcoming. The entrance was gloomy, dark... scary, to put it bluntly. Jagged rocks hung down from the mouth of the cave, forming serrated, moss-dripping teeth. This was your best bet and the only visible place to get out of the torrential downpour that had just started.

You slip and slide your way into the cave, trying to allow your eyes to adjust to the murky darkness. Your hands edge against the wall, feeling your way blindly as you try not to trip over stray stones. Deeper and deeper into the cave you tread, not daring to even try to conquer the storm continuing to rage outside. The inky, pitch black is relentless. Never wavering as you continue on your way, until...

Your feet hit nothing! What you had thought would be more solid ground, turned out to be nothing but thin air. You're sent falling. Tumbling down into darkness and spiraling down into the abyss. You scream until you slam, hard, into the floor below. The impact forced every ounce of air from your lungs, and the fall had snapped your head back, connecting face to ground. During that time, you had also bit your tongue; the taste of your own blood stinging the inside of your mouth. Groaning, you manage to push yourself to your hands and knees, and it was only then that you noticed the lights.

Lights?

No, not lights. Crystals. Millions of luminescent crystals jutted from natural facets within the walls and ceilings. They twinkled brilliantly, like stars. It was beautiful. While lost in amazement, you hadn't quite noticed that the crystals weren't the only things in this oval-shaped room. As your eyes adjusted to the natural light, you gasp as you take in what looks to be like nests set in even intervals along the walls. Within the neatly crafted nests were eggs of all shapes, sizes, and colors. And, as you go over to investigate one, you realize... these aren't your normal, every day, chicken eggs. These were something... strange. Something you had never seen before.

You reach out to stroke the nearest egg. A smile beaming brightly on your lips as your fingertips gently run over the rough, and slightly bumpy, surface of the egg. It was warm to the touch and there seemed to be the faintest beat coming from within the hardened walls surrounding whatever creature that lay within. A heartbeat, perhaps?

Yet, you were not alone. Shadows begun to dance around you, forming into beings that only seemed to reside in dreams. A slender thing, nearly black, and donning a Santa's hat slithered across the floor, curly around your legs, and perching upon your shoulder. Its crimson eyes blinked curiously at you, before reaching its long fingers into its hat and pulled out a scroll. He slapped you in the face with it, before flying off your shoulder and running away, hiding among the shadows were it came.

With a huff, you managed to grip the scroll before it fell to the floor, glaring after the beast as it fled. You swear you could hear it cackling at you, but the piece of parchment in your hands pulled your attention away from the Krampus and back to it. Unlacing the ribbon, the piece of old paper unraveled within your hand, trailing down to the floor. Most were the names of creatures, others the names of people, and then the rest were written in a language you had never seen before. Confusing, but interesting.

The Krampus had returned, this time, he had decided to pull on your pant's leg. You stare down at the imp, tilting your head to one side as he pointed out what appeared to be large portals leading out of the cave. The first portal was swirling with greens and browns and had the name @Nyria etched into the very wall. The second, was much like the first, but instead of greens and browns, the colors cycling inside were blues and whites; the name @icebomb was scratched above this one. There was also a third portal. This one seemed to be void of any real color and had a single word written above it - Ark.

It was clear, you weren't anywhere close to home anymore. But, with your curiosity piqued, you decide to try one of the portals and discover more about this strange, new world.