Shadow of the Raptor: Part 1

Chapter 4: Cold Hearted

(A/N The picture tagged along to this is Alexis, not Blade or Madeleine.)

   Thalian awoke to the hull of their ship shuddering considerably. He got out of his bed and quickly ran to the frontal deck. The three members of the group that hadn't been knocked unconscious were running about the deck frantically. Well, two of them Yellow-Tooth was still driving the Frostbite forward to their destination. "What's all the shaking about?" Thalian inquired "Pirates. We've arrived at The Sun's Rift." Yellow-Tooth said, looking deathly grim. Thalian looked around, and saw several ships engaged in boarded combat, with the ships that were boasting the typical skull and crossbones symbol winning each one. "We are at top speed, right? I would dearly like to get out of here soon. I loathe pirates and their scandals." Thalian commented "Of course we are," growled Yellow-Tooth "I am not fond of them either. We're almost to the Arctic, not even a madman would venture into the Arctic." "So, what are we, if we are venturing in willingly?" Thalian asked, ever so curious to find out new things. "What are we? Well, we're probably dead in a few minutes. The Arctic hides the Leviathan and something the locals of The Sun's Rift call The Arctic Guardian. Who knows which one we'll encounter first?" Tacticus answered. Thalian shook his head, they did, in fact, have a death wish. They entered into a canyon of glaciers, the cold was not what Thalian was accustomed to. Barrel Hoop, his home town, was a desert town, so the heat was where he preferred to be. They turned around a bend and the canyon opened up into a large circular pocket. The Frostbite glided into the pocket, and as soon as they were fully in, the water in the center of the pocket started rippling, and there was a loud rumbling. The water erupted and a colossal being was presented before them (http://prnt.sc/8pgrdi Yes, that's supposed to be an imaginative take on the Leviathan, but I wanted it to be the Arctic Guardian) "The Arctic Guardian" Tacticus informed them grimly "Let's see if it accepts us." The Arctic Guardian leaned down towards them, and stared at Thalian directly. It raised it's massive fist above him, threatening to squash him. The guardian stared him down for a full ten seconds of terror, and then moved onto Tacticus, repeating the action for every member. The guardian nodded, and clapped his hands together above him. He started spinning, creating a whirlpool beneath him, and disappeared beneath the waves. "Well, that was anti-climactic." Thalian said, his heart still pounding. "Well, let's hope our oversized eel friend doesn't require food." Yellow-Tooth said, referring to the Leviathan. "I do indeed hope not." Thalian agreed.

     The crew of the Frostbite arrived at a peculiar place, the Frozen Jungle, or Ka'ar Thu'ul in the Wa'ka'li tribes language, the Wa'ka'li were also the only known residents of the Frozen Jungle. "We're docking off here." Yellow-Tooth informed the team. "Here? This place is extremely hostile. We've no hope to get to our rendezvous point by taking this path." Thalian said. "Yes, but it's either the jungle or the Leviathan's territory." Yellow-Tooth replied. Suddenly, the Frozen Jungle seemed a lot more appealing. Alexis climbed down from her perch "Ah, land. I've missed you my sweet!" She claimed, she seemed to always be in a joking mood, even in grim times. Thalian could appreciate that, he too was a joking man at one point. Tacticus lowered a gangplank so the group could walk on the land again. "Alright, everyone stick to the path, and stay close to me." Yellow-Tooth said. No one objected. They traversed the gnarled path relatively easily, considering their bulk and number. Thalian looked above, to the white blanket of leaves, and studied the icy blue trees. This was an unusual place indeed, he thought, what purpose could a frozen jungle serve to the people? A rather large canyon presented itself proudly to the group, a dizzying drop into the icy jungle also presented itself. Thalian preferred not to be at heights like this. A large shadow with glowing gold eyes slithered underneath the canopy, Thalian's heart pounded in his chest. Was that the Leviathan? Or an illusion created by his fear of heights and the dark, foreboding jungle below? He shook his head, presuming that he this was an illusion. He took his first step onto the bridge that seemed to goad him on, and it swayed beneath him, he grasped the ropes with a death grip, as if he was grasping a cliff edge, as to not fall. Instead of shimmying across, Thalian took several leaps across, causing the bridge to moan and swish back and forth. He finally made it across and they continued on, back to the upper level of the frozen jungle. The group continued without a word, the silence was grinding on Thalian, it was creepy, to say the least. "How much longer do we have to trek through this cold hearted jungle?" Thalian inquired "I hope to get to the edge of the jungle by nightfall, we'd not last long in the jungle at night." Yellow-Tooth replied. Yellow-Tooth seemed to becoming the leader of their group, which Thalian did not mind. A good, experienced leader was good, especially if he knew what to sacrifice to save the group, or who. Thalian hoped that the bear knew what, or who, to sacrifice and when. Thalian was deep in thought when a howl pierced through the thick trunks of the frozen trees, Thalian looked around nervously. Great, he thought, I'm going to be paranoid of wolves now. And indeed he was, his eyes started darting from side to side, never staying on one side for more than two seconds. His breath accelerated, and his mind went from normal speed to one hundred miles per hour. His ADHD was on overdrive, he noticed more and more things, strangely large owls, with glowing red eyes, and, on several occasions, he thought he noticed humanoid beings lurking in the darkness. All of this, combined with the howl, put Thalian on edge.  The jungle seemed to be teeming with life, if it was hostile or docile, Thalian did not know, though he hoped it was the latter. Yellow-Tooth had noticed the humanoids as well "The Wa'Ki'Li have noticed our presence, time is of the essence now. Make haste, friends, I'd rather not test the myths that surround the tribe." Yellow-Tooth quickened his pace, reverting to all fours. One particularly brave tribal man got onto the edge of the path, observing them. "Ke'lik fhan! Ishina!" it shrieked "Er, hello to you too." Thalian responded nervously "Oh, Thal, don't be nervous! Their just being friendly!" Alexis said. The rare times when Alexis did talk, she was always reassuring you, or joking around, and she comforted Thalian. Still, Thalian's hand brushed his gun, and just the feeling of the powerful revolver made Thalian safer, sure he wasn't an excellent shot, but he wasn't missing every other shot, either.  "I have not seen such... Tribal creatures in some time," Tacticus noted "Not since the fierce ogre tribes in Aquila." "Ogres are tribal? I thought they were smarter than trolls." Thalian said, he loved finding out about new species and how they acted. "No, trolls are actually quite intelligent, they're smart enough to build boats, and learn english." Tacticus replied. Another howl resonated through the dark jungle "Night is drawing closer, the ram wolves wil be on our tail soon, we must get out of here and into the Marble Plains!" Yellow-Tooth, once again, quickened his pace. Thalian took a little to find the information for the Marble Plains. The Marble Plains, which are not actually marble, rather they are ice, started at the mouth of the Frozen Jungle, the plains are completely flat, and stretch out for miles, after that, the Glacial Halls lay dormant. The Glacial Halls are large, formidable mountains of ice that house a honeycomb system of caves, some are large enough to make into a house, and some are so small that not even a dwarf could squeeze in. Thalian knew no information, other that the way the landscape is shaped, about these two places. Both of them are extremely hostile, but the Frozen Jungle is the most hostile. A large wolf pounced out of the darkness and sprinted at Thalian, who was taken by surprise. The wolf bit his leg, and Thalian howled in pain, Thalian punched the wolf, not wanting to kill a creature that was trying to survive and get it's next meal. Thalian picked the wolf up, and threw it back into the darkness. "Oh god, Thalian, are you ok?" Alexis asked, running to his side. Thalian grunted, not wanting to expend energy talking. He stood up and tried taking a step, only for pain to jolt up in leg. "I just need... Painkillers." He gasped. Tacticus pulled a medical kit from his bag and started bandaging his leg. "Luckily, the bite was not deep, and no muscles or major blood vessels are damaged. You might limp for awhile, but it won't be permanent." Tacticus informed him "Do you think you can walk on your own for now?" He asked, Thalian grunted, using his arms to push him upwards, and took a step "It still hurts, but I'll be ok." He said, "Shall we continue on into these dangerous gnarls?" Thalian asked, gesturing to the path ahead "Yes, we shall, but we need to stay in a tightly knit group, no stragglers, or else we'll be picked off." Yellow-Tooth said. They continued on for around three hours, with nothing significant occurring in between those times, large white lands sprawled before them, and large, furry creatures roamed around on their legs, with large bazooka shaped arms, they had reached the Marble Plains.