Work Text:
Faren had set out to harvest wood from the nearby dense forest early in the afternoon. They had wandered quite far on this particular expedition and their left knee was making its disdain thoroughly known, but the pangs of protest were worth the haul. Now the sun had long gone to rest, and the moon had risen to its peak, and the nightly fog had rolled in along the lakefront.
It started quiet on this night with a crescent moon. Not much beyond the quiet chirps of the crickets and the frogs, the occasional quiet lapping of water along the shore, all accompanied by the noises of night owl livestock on the opposite shoreline.
But after some time wandering, the fog quickly thickened before the nighttime noises Faren had grown used to abruptly ceased.
Something was here–in the forest. It’s not any of the typical nighttime creatures.
It’s something bigger… something stronger.
A cold breeze caused the sweat on their neck to go frigid while they braced their shield for an attack to come.
A stick snapped in the distance, introducing rhythmic beating onto the forest floor–like foreboding drums in the distance, growing closer…
And closer…
And closer.
Faren’s heart raced to match the quickly approaching rhythm.
Bracing further for the incoming beast and whatever it had in store for them, readying their sword prepared to defend themself.
Then all went quiet, all but Faren’s quickened heart and breathing.
The brush a meter or so in front of them began to tremble as much as their hands.
Then a small dark blob bursts forth, letting out many cheerful thrills.
The unidentified mass skidded to a halt, reforming into the shape of the familiar fluffy black cat, and dropped it’s gray toy fish letting out a final excited “mrrrrp!”
“Oh. Hi Bast!”