The plan was simple. Too many tunnels? Block them. Sam created walls of sticky threads that covered a bunch of tunnels. The rodents and Fanv then only had to chase the Deear until it ran right into one of the barely visible wall-traps.
Sam also pointed out that sneaking wouldn't do them any good since the Deear could 'hear a Bloodclover sprout a kilometer away', his words not hers. So they changed their strategy completely.
About a hundred rodents and one wolf screaming bloody murder, running through the tunnels should get pretty much anything moving as far away from them as possible. They moved side to side, Fanv, Pohc and some moles screeched through the big tunnels and the other rodents went by the sides. They were like a wave of noise sweeping through the tunnels, herding the Deear towards the blocked tunnels. At least Fanv thought that was what they were doing. She couldn't really tell where in the walls the others were but Pohc assured her that they were doing great so she just nodded and kept roaring her lungs out. It was kind of fun.
It was fun until her lungs ached and her throat went sore. Thankfully she didn't have to make any more noise. Sam had popped through the ceiling at some point (startling Fanv who was already screaming) and informed them that something had gotten stuck in one of his nets. They all made their way there with Sam leading the way.
What was stuck in the net was indeed a hoofed animal and it did have those spots fawn have, but the similarities ended there. The beast was built like a rock. Bulging muscles strained under its silver fur. The spots were black and covered almost the entire back. It had shorter legs and no real neck to speak of. It looked a bit more like a cow than a deer. What made it look the strangest was the ears, however. It had far too many of them.
Probably 20 sets of long sleek, deer-ears. All covering the back of its head and part of the neck and back like a mane. They moved and turned in a hypnotic pattern. 6 dark blue eyes stared at Fanv and her pack in horror.
The thin threads clung to its body and trapped it in place. The Deear made no noise other than breathing. It was eerie. Fanv took a moment to just watch the strange creature. Then she decided it would be a good meal and charged it. The Deear was rather slow to react, it was built to run at high speeds but it needed a long time to build up the pace. Once it stood still it had no chance of moving as fast as the starving wolf.
She tore out its windpipe and shuddered in delight as blood showered her face and chest. She didn't feel herself disappearing into a frenzy like all the other times. She got a rush from violence but she kept herself in check, only harming the Deear. A perfect hunt in her opinion. Except she got stuck in the webs as well.
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It took some time for Sam to set Fanv free from the sticky threads but after that, the feast began. The rodents dug in as soon as Fanv took the first bite. Sam cut off the two hind legs and pulled them away to eat in peace. Fanv went for the shoulders and head. She found that the ears were chewy but surprisingly tasty. Bloodclovers began to sprout as they ate, their red flowers casting an ominous glow over the floor.
This would probably be a terrifying sight to any outsider, a disfigured wolf feeding alongside a pack of rodents and a spider who was only visible when it moved in the darkness. It was a bloody mess in that cave.
The villagers of Ogon were terrified in fact, but not of the grizzly scene in the nearby dungeon. A band of bandits had decided to raid the small settlement and now many buildings stood in flames. The blaring of a horn egged the bandits on as they fought the few guards who protected the villages along with some of the braver villagers. Ogon was a village of Bards, the best storytellers were born there and their lust for more tales of adventure and glory drove them out into the world. Only the elders and some who preferred a farmer's lifestyle stayed in the village after reaching adulthood.
Elders, youths, and bards are not a strong defense force and it showed as the bandits cut them down and pillaged their homes. The fighting carried on well into the night before the bandits retreated with their loot. A few unlucky women and one very unlucky teenage boy had been tied up and strapped to the bandits' horses. They wailed as their captors took them away from their home. The boy cried alongside the women. The few elvish features he had and the darkness of night had perhaps been the reason someone mistook him for a woman. That or someone simply had a less common preference. He shuddered at both thoughts, fear coursing through his veins as he dreaded what the bandits planned for him.
They rode into the thick forest that surrounded the eastern side of the village. Looming oaks stretched fingerlike branches towards the horses, brushing their hides as they ran along a hidden trail. The bandits shouted and celebrated their successful raid, waving bloodied weapons and sacks of stolen goods in the air. One unlucky bandit waved his sword a bit too high. With a thud, the rusted weapon dug into a low branch and got wrenched out of his hand. He swore loudly and the other bandits laughed.
The horses circled around a small downwards slope. The boy could have sworn he saw something glaring from the mouth of a small cave down below.
The band of bandits rode on for awhile before the trees finally opened up into a clearing. Worn tents and equipment littered the ground. A few bandits who had stayed behind rose as the raiding party returned with their haul. Cheering and celebrations began as loot were carried away and the horses led away. The women were either carried into a tent reinforced by wooden fences or a bandit carried them off to their own tent. Screaming and crying did little more than earning them a kick or punch to silence them. Mikvel cried out as a burly bandit grabbed him by his hair and pulled him kicking and screaming into a dark tent.