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[ACORN TRACKER]

AS IT HAPPENS... Deep dream happened on the last possible week. @__@ i overthought this a lot but here we go! New friend...?(???!??)

Folk Featured: Solana

She felt like she'd been wandering the maze for hours on end when she'd finally ran into what, she assumed, couldn't be anything but a predator. It had talked to her, just like the other one had before it'd tried to tear her to shreds, but for some reason... This one was not moving. All it was doing had been asking her questions.

And by how it was almost cowering on the opposite side of the corridor, it oddly enough didn't seem to have any intention of pouncing and gobbling her down like a folk sized snack.

"I'm... Solana."

She wasn't fully sure what had compelled her to talk to the creature, let alone give out her name. It seemed to ruminate on the answer for a while before replying, just as quiet as the stone walls around it.

"...i am... the rat king..."

"...and i am... supposed to be alone. but here you are..."

Ducking lightly behind one of the large shrubs growing on the floor of the tunnel, Solana cocked her head to the side. She'd never heard of a rat king, let alone one in nondescript tunnels that led nowhere and didn't let you turn back when you walked along, almost as if you were trapped in an unending loop of some kind. "Please don't eat me! I... I don't know, I swear! I was just sleeping, I didn't-"

The huge rodent shifted uncomfortably, ears flicking down at the raised tone. "voice, please... it echoes off the walls..."

Swallowing her words, Solana started again. "I... I'm sorry. I. I just wanted to get some rest, I didn't mean to... Wander..."

"and yet... here you are."

Nodding lightly, Solana found some of the weight on her chest lessen as the conversation remained at the same, languid pace. "I tried to go back and not be a bother, but uh. The walls wouldn't let me. Did you... Make this place?"

With a small shake of its head, the creature me the question with a non-answer of its own. "all paths lead to the center... going back is not... an option. that's how it's always been..."

"Oh... I see." She didn't, really. But somehow saying it made things make more sense in the already bizarre situation. Finally gathering her courage, Solana lifted her eyes and met the rat king's gaze head on. "So you're... Alone? There's no one else here? Just you?"

A small nod, barely a movement.

"It's... Kind of nice, in a way. I have to live in a really noisy place with a lot of people, so... I don't know. It's so quiet here."

Setting its haunches onto the ground, the giant rodent seemed perplexed. "you like it..?"

Ears dipping down again, Solana stuttered slightly. "I-I mean um. I don't, you know... Um. I just- I don't like. Them. The people. Everywhere. Is all." Slumping down, she too sat onto the lightly moist ground. "They all like being friends and all, playing and yelling and running all day... I don't. I'm weird. I'm probably stupid for it, too."

She could feel the familiar sting of tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she squeezed her hands into little fists, eyes fixed onto the little grass blades in front of her. "I don't know if this is real or if you are real. Or if this is some weird dream and I'm going to have to wake up again and listen to them scream and watch them try to pull me into their things and think they know what I want when they don't. I just-..." wiping her face with her arm, she continued trying not to choke up- "I just like. The silence, I guess."

And the silence continued, only carried along with the occasional small sniffle from the little kit as the pair sat unmoving, surrounded by only the stone arch of the maze corridor.

"..."

"....i... get that feeling. not wanting to be forced to be what you are not."

The sniffles continued, but the weepy eyes lifted off the grass once more. Seemingly taking this as affirmation, Rat King continued.

"i had... friends. i don't any more. we don't have to be that... but." with a flick of a tagged ear, the rodent seemed to be weighing its words carefully. "i could let... you visit. no one's supposed to get here... so it's quiet. it's empty... but maybe... you like that sort of thing."

Slowly the words started sinking in. The last bit of the doubt in Solana's mind finally reared its head enough to make it out. "You're not... Going to eat me? Hurt me? I thought- Not like, you know. You've been very nice and all... But I've just seen monsters out there."

A deep sigh emanated from the giant, a large paw rubbing another. "i don't want to hurt... i've seen enough of it." The light of the lantern dangling from the tangled tails made the creature seem... Almost small in the moment. "i too.. just want peace and quiet."

Every fiber of her being, as a folk, rebelled against the thought of trusting something so large, so inherently scary. But as had become painfully obvious throughout her stay in the den, she was not most folk. With a last rub of her eyes to dry the remaining tears, her eyebrows knitted together. "I'm... Sick. That's not a worry to you?"

The lantern slowly rocked side to side as the long, winding tails curled in thought. "i think... everyone is sick with this and that, all the time anyway... it doesn't matter to me... unless that in turn matters to you."

Puzzling as the words were on their own right, something about them felt oddly soothing. Hugging her knees against her chest, Solana thought for a moment before answering. "I'd. Like that. This place is pretty lonely, but... So am I. I guess it fits. If you don't mind, that is."

Turning its head as if to look towards a sky that was not there, Rat King took a moment before returning to the conversation at hand. It was almost as if they were recalling words yet unfamiliar to them, trying to pick the right ones out of the bunch. "then... maybe... we could make a pact. i do not need a friend, you do not need a friend... but unlike you... i cannot leave this place. in turn... i can let you in... when i can."

Tilting her head to the side in thought, Solana repeated the rodent's words. "A.. pact? And you'd just let me come here? Should I pay you?"

With a shake of their head, Rat King let out a small huff. "having your word, and seeing you not in distress... is payment enough."

"Then... yeah." With a brisk nod, Solana clasped her paws together, holding them close as she looked at the Rat King. "We'll make a pact. Just tell me if there's anything I need to do."

(1163 words)

32 Acorns | 389 total

Description

[ACORN TRACKER]

AS IT HAPPENS... Deep dream happened on the last possible week. @__@ i overthought this a lot but here we go! New friend...?(???!??)

Folk Featured: Solana

She felt like she'd been wandering the maze for hours on end when she'd finally ran into what, she assumed, couldn't be anything but a predator. It had talked to her, just like the other one had before it'd tried to tear her to shreds, but for some reason... This one was not moving. All it was doing had been asking her questions.

And by how it was almost cowering on the opposite side of the corridor, it oddly enough didn't seem to have any intention of pouncing and gobbling her down like a folk sized snack.

"I'm... Solana."

She wasn't fully sure what had compelled her to talk to the creature, let alone give out her name. It seemed to ruminate on the answer for a while before replying, just as quiet as the stone walls around it.

"...i am... the rat king..."

"...and i am... supposed to be alone. but here you are..."

Ducking lightly behind one of the large shrubs growing on the floor of the tunnel, Solana cocked her head to the side. She'd never heard of a rat king, let alone one in nondescript tunnels that led nowhere and didn't let you turn back when you walked along, almost as if you were trapped in an unending loop of some kind. "Please don't eat me! I... I don't know, I swear! I was just sleeping, I didn't-"

The huge rodent shifted uncomfortably, ears flicking down at the raised tone. "voice, please... it echoes off the walls..."

Swallowing her words, Solana started again. "I... I'm sorry. I. I just wanted to get some rest, I didn't mean to... Wander..."

"and yet... here you are."

Nodding lightly, Solana found some of the weight on her chest lessen as the conversation remained at the same, languid pace. "I tried to go back and not be a bother, but uh. The walls wouldn't let me. Did you... Make this place?"

With a small shake of its head, the creature me the question with a non-answer of its own. "all paths lead to the center... going back is not... an option. that's how it's always been..."

"Oh... I see." She didn't, really. But somehow saying it made things make more sense in the already bizarre situation. Finally gathering her courage, Solana lifted her eyes and met the rat king's gaze head on. "So you're... Alone? There's no one else here? Just you?"

A small nod, barely a movement.

"It's... Kind of nice, in a way. I have to live in a really noisy place with a lot of people, so... I don't know. It's so quiet here."

Setting its haunches onto the ground, the giant rodent seemed perplexed. "you like it..?"

Ears dipping down again, Solana stuttered slightly. "I-I mean um. I don't, you know... Um. I just- I don't like. Them. The people. Everywhere. Is all." Slumping down, she too sat onto the lightly moist ground. "They all like being friends and all, playing and yelling and running all day... I don't. I'm weird. I'm probably stupid for it, too."

She could feel the familiar sting of tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she squeezed her hands into little fists, eyes fixed onto the little grass blades in front of her. "I don't know if this is real or if you are real. Or if this is some weird dream and I'm going to have to wake up again and listen to them scream and watch them try to pull me into their things and think they know what I want when they don't. I just-..." wiping her face with her arm, she continued trying not to choke up- "I just like. The silence, I guess."

And the silence continued, only carried along with the occasional small sniffle from the little kit as the pair sat unmoving, surrounded by only the stone arch of the maze corridor.

"..."

"....i... get that feeling. not wanting to be forced to be what you are not."

The sniffles continued, but the weepy eyes lifted off the grass once more. Seemingly taking this as affirmation, Rat King continued.

"i had... friends. i don't any more. we don't have to be that... but." with a flick of a tagged ear, the rodent seemed to be weighing its words carefully. "i could let... you visit. no one's supposed to get here... so it's quiet. it's empty... but maybe... you like that sort of thing."

Slowly the words started sinking in. The last bit of the doubt in Solana's mind finally reared its head enough to make it out. "You're not... Going to eat me? Hurt me? I thought- Not like, you know. You've been very nice and all... But I've just seen monsters out there."

A deep sigh emanated from the giant, a large paw rubbing another. "i don't want to hurt... i've seen enough of it." The light of the lantern dangling from the tangled tails made the creature seem... Almost small in the moment. "i too.. just want peace and quiet."

Every fiber of her being, as a folk, rebelled against the thought of trusting something so large, so inherently scary. But as had become painfully obvious throughout her stay in the den, she was not most folk. With a last rub of her eyes to dry the remaining tears, her eyebrows knitted together. "I'm... Sick. That's not a worry to you?"

The lantern slowly rocked side to side as the long, winding tails curled in thought. "i think... everyone is sick with this and that, all the time anyway... it doesn't matter to me... unless that in turn matters to you."

Puzzling as the words were on their own right, something about them felt oddly soothing. Hugging her knees against her chest, Solana thought for a moment before answering. "I'd. Like that. This place is pretty lonely, but... So am I. I guess it fits. If you don't mind, that is."

Turning its head as if to look towards a sky that was not there, Rat King took a moment before returning to the conversation at hand. It was almost as if they were recalling words yet unfamiliar to them, trying to pick the right ones out of the bunch. "then... maybe... we could make a pact. i do not need a friend, you do not need a friend... but unlike you... i cannot leave this place. in turn... i can let you in... when i can."

Tilting her head to the side in thought, Solana repeated the rodent's words. "A.. pact? And you'd just let me come here? Should I pay you?"

With a shake of their head, Rat King let out a small huff. "having your word, and seeing you not in distress... is payment enough."

"Then... yeah." With a brisk nod, Solana clasped her paws together, holding them close as she looked at the Rat King. "We'll make a pact. Just tell me if there's anything I need to do."

(1163 words)

32 Acorns | 389 total