The Music Box

Introduction

He watched the men below, slightly enjoying the fact that they looked like ants from the height he was at. His face glistened a bit in the moonlight, the cold night icy on his face. Runora, his sister, clung to the branch beside his head, her black talons sharp and clean. He made sure to keep his breathing silent, even though the government officials were inferior to him when it came to hearing. Unless of course they used one of their fancy, weird toys. Another travel beast the color of ink came to a halt alongside the other monster, and more men spilled out of its insides. They were quiet, except for their equipment they carried, which rattled silently with every step they took.

He chuckled to himself. This is kinda fun!

Keep quiet, stupid. Runora hissed.

Oh, come now. They can't hear us.

I'm just being cautious.

Runora, please, he looked up at her, they can't hear us through our bond. We're alright. Besides, just look at them! They're practically harmless against us.

I suppose... Still, just keep it down.

I know. He looked back down, his heart fluttering with excitement at the sight of them so far away. The tree they were in was rather tall. Maybe three or four stories high? It would be hard for the men and women below to even see them from up there. He listened carefully to all their hushed voices, picking up several conversations. Most were about what was going on, all of them referring Argon and his sister to a 'beast' or 'monster'. Then there was another conversation about a massive hole in the earth... for some reason. It was fun to listen to, but he knew he had to pay attention to the more important conversations. Then Richweld showed up.

The man slipped out of one of the travel beasts, and with him, a man in a navy blue ball cap followed. All the people below stopped what they were doing and formed into rows, silently following what they had been taught. As Richweld walked passed the lines of people, he whispered something to the nervous ball-cap-wearer beside him.

"Now just remember, Kevin," said he to the ball-cap-wearer, "these things are dangerous. We need you to find them, since you're our best tracker. As your boss and friend, I'd advise you to be careful."

Ugh, his voice. Muttered Runora.

Argon knew what she meant. Richweld always sounded so... what was the word? Vainglorious, he supposed would be an okay word to describe it.

"Just how dangerous are these crypitds, exactly?" Asked the ball-cap-wearer.

"Well, let's just say that we've lost quite a few people to these two creatures." Richweld patted the man's back, then handed him a cylinder-of-light. "We're right behind you."

Argon could only imagine how annoyed that man felt. 'Thanks for the reassurance, guys. Truly appreciate it.'

I know, right? His sister groomed a wing.

Argon continued watching the little show as the ball-cap-wearer-named-'Kevin' made the cylinder-of-light bright, casting its shining beam of light in front of him. It lit up his path, and he continued on his way, looking around for any sign of them. Richweld looked over his shoulder at a few of the officials, making a motion with his hand; a silent order to follow the ball-cap-wearer. Two people stepped out of their line and joined the man by both sides, holding their fire-bang-sticks close as they eyed the area suspiciously.

"Let's see..." Muttered the man, crouching down onto the ground and feeling a few of the leaves.

Argon wondered why he decided to touch the ground. Maybe he had special sensors in his hands or something? It was fascinating to watch the ball-cap-wearer feel around, looking down with a critical eye at his surroundings. To the pair's surprise, the man inched closer and closer to their tree, startling them. What an interestingly talented human...