Subrooted

Subrooted Chapter 1

It was a morning filled to the brim with promise, the sun was beaming with pride, and there were no clouds in sight. However, deep within the dark forest outside of Reynoso, two creatures were lurking underneath the surface, lurking for the perfect moment to strike. These creatures, hidden in the underground, are called pas. Their fur is all red, with only one ear and two antlers on each of their foreheads. While small and slender compared to many other creatures on the planet of Quidoria, these creatures can take down prey twice their size. They are always on the lookout, with only their ear and antlers visible, waiting to attack their prey. And soon, after enough waiting, that prey began to present itself in the form of a big, juicy raxo. While they could not see their prey, two pas, Solph and Korth, were both pleased with what they had heard. But, this raxo was three times their size, attacking it was not going to be a simple task. That did not stop Solph, who was eager to attack this majestic creature first. Without warning, she emerged from the ground and charged at the colossal beast. Stunned, her brother ran after her. The raxo, knowing it needed to act fast, tried to use its giant horn on its head to defeat its attackers. But, it was too late. The pas easily dodged each of the raxo's attacks, allowing them to slice into the raxo’s soft underbelly.
Solph, who rushed in first, began to celebrate this accomplishment with her brother, Korth, not too far behind. "Korth, we did it!” Solph shouted, “We caught it! I can't believe it!" Korth began to sigh with relief, "And just at the proper time too, that thing could have killed you." Solph crouched and began to carry the heavy creature onto her back. "Aww, it was nothing Korth, honestly." She looked at her once broken hind legs, "In fact, I feel like my old self again!" "Can you just be a little more careful out there? You heard that creature just as clearly as I did." Solph laughed, “Oh please Korth, show a bit of life for once! This has been a major triumph! I can’t wait for the village to see this creature.” Korth sighed, following Solph carefully through the forest, “The village will not see this, we are going straight to the seller.” “Oh come on," Solph whined, "can we relish in the benefits just a little?” “No,” Korth confronted, “We need the money now. And the more this creature rots, the less likely we will get anything for our investment.” “You sound less like a brave and fearless hunter and more like a boring and monotonous record keeper.” Korth smiled and shook his head, “That’s what makes us the perfect team, I’m the brains and you’re the-” “Fearless and brave warrior, unafraid of any conflict!” Solph finished. “Yeah." Korth responded, trying to hide his sarcasm, “A warrior who is forever destined to fall off a cliff.” Solph shook her head and began to walk towards a hill. Along the way, she began looking up at the trees around her, satisfied by the beautiful nature that surrounded her, “My my, aren’t trees so abundant in the forest?” Korth looked to where Solph was looking and smiled, “Yep, look at how tall and mighty they truly are, oh how I love their order.” Solph shrugged and stopped with the raxo still dead on her back, “But live creatures? Those who are able to roam free in the wild, they are as rare as they are beautiful.” Korth chuckled, "I agree with that much. But, the tree stands tall and survives for far longer." "True, they do survive longer and stand taller." Solph responded, "But they never live." Korth smiled and began to breathe slowly, "Say what you want about the forest, but home is where it's at. Solph, are you confident that this seller will not rip us off?" "Korth, my younger brother, I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life." “I know,” Korth said,  wearing a defeated expression, "And that's what I'm afraid of."
In a few short moments, the two siblings arrive at the entrance to Reynoso, a city that lies miles beneath the hill's surface. Upon entering, they are spotted by a young officer patrolling the area. He wore a strong yellow and blue uniform that made certain of his authority in the town. His fur was coated in a dark red, darker than anyone in the town. He was exceptionally tall and huge, towering over all he had the displeasure of meeting him. His eyes seemed cold, his armor felt impenetrable, and his voice, whenever he dared to use it, created a wave of knives that could tear into the heart of any soldier, slowly tearing them apart bit by bit. No one who has any sense will ever talk to him, as if they do, the ramifications of their actions may be severe. Of course, Solph wasn’t one to care about what made “sense” to others. So, against everyone’s best judgment, Solph talks to Nihroq whenever she can. "Hello Officer Nihroq!" Solph shouted, still holding the heavy raxo on her back. "How has the patrol been, my tall friend!" Nihroq thought for a moment but did not respond, instead he simply looked at the giant beast that she was carrying. “Oh, are you curious about this raxo?” Solph smiled gleefully, “Bet you’re wondering how this huge beast came to fall into our hands, eh?” Nihroq, ignoring the question, raised a deep voice, “Where are you selling this off to?” Korth, moving in front of Solph, answered shakily, “That is none of your concern sir.” Nihroq sighed and stared at the siblings, “I hope you know that today is a big day for the mayor and his friends. And she would hate it if any unsavory characters came to ruin the party for her.” Korth stepped back, “We are not here to destroy the mayor’s little party. After all, the common folk are never invited for a reason. I would never dream of being anywhere near that disgrace.” Nihroq growled, “I would expect nothing more from you, Korth. Hide in the forest all you want, but one day a storm will approach that you will never hide from. And maybe, just maybe, you will make the slightest preparations to survive.” Nihroq turned around and scoffed, “Good day.”
Korth sighed in relief, “What an annoying little migraine, trying to scare me half-to-death, telling us what to do.” Solph chuckled, “He ain’t that scary, he just has a very stressful day ahead of him. Maybe he just feels worried about something? Patrolling the town all by himself must be a stressful endeavor.” Korth sighed, “Do you have no sense? There is no way that pa has something as complex as ‘feelings’. Stop treating everyone you meet like they are your close friend.” Solph shook her head and put down the raxo, "Your turn to carry this thing. My back is killing me." Korth chuckled, "See what I mean, the sooner this thing is gone, the better." Korth then looked around, "By the way, where did you say this seller was again?" "Here," Solph directed, securing the raxo on his back, “it's over this way. It will only take a few moments, come on!" Korth agreed, “Ok, let’s go!”
After about two hours of walking around with no avail, Korth began to groan, “I thought you said you knew where the seller was?” “I did.” Solph reassured, “He is just late.” “I’m growing tired of this, let’s just sell it somewhere else.” Solph sighed, “Please, trust me, with what he is paying, it will all be worth it.” Korth groaned and sat down, resting the raxo beside him.
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“Two hours.” Korth said, looking at the watch at his left leg. “I’m not staying here forever, you know. Let’s just go find a place to sell this to and gut our losses.” “Be patient.” Solph insisted. “Just think, would the king give up on something he wants?” Korth stared at Solph, “Seriously, do you really think I get lifestyle advice from him?” “Hey!” Solph defended. “Like him or not, he is very successful at his job.” “Sure.” Korth replied, “Successful at plucking his fur, maybe. I’m sure he’s great at that.” Solph sighed, “Whatever, I guess some pas don’t like reading about his inspiring life messages.” “No, I just don’t have a weird crush on the king.” Solph gasped, “I do not have a crush on the king! Where do you get this idea from?” “I’m just saying.” Korth replied, “Appealing to an authoritative figure is not an argument.” “Ugh, you’re so insufferable sometimes, no wonder why you don’t have any frien-.”