As was their habit, the tribe of oil trolls spent the day curled amidst the gnarly roots of willow trees that grew along the river’s shadowy edge. Nightfall ushered in a resurrecting mist, triggering the oil trolls’ instinct to awaken from their deep sleep. Once awake, they wiggled themselves free from the muddy banks. Whining and pushing each other about, the trolls merged into a swarm of hairy, smelly bodies, their bloated faces fringed with scabs. The males dressed in the skins of wild animals and wore beads and bones. Preparing themselves for their hunting ritual, the gang smeared their bodies with the black crude oil they found within the bog’s wet womb. Once covered, the oil’s primeval smell took control of their primitive brains and excited their evil nature.
Shifting their clawed feet from side to side as they passed through the bog, the meat-eating oil trolls always had company. Vultures, adorned in their red masks, kept a keen eye on the hunting trolls. Suspended on an updraft, these masters of gliding waited patiently for their meal of left over bone and skin. The sight of these hideous trolls silenced all the animals.
Their red, glowing eyes enabled the oil trolls to see their way through the darkest of nights. On this rainless night, lightning, hurling her brilliant strikes ignited the swamp gases while her mate, thunder, roared across space. The gas’s blue flame flickered, illuminating the bog as the trolls hobbled through the tangled woods in search of food to fill their empty bellies. This particular gang of oil trolls was prowling on the night of Zote’s snake dinner.
Their chieftain stopped without warning; his bulbous nose had picked up the odor of cooking meat. The dull-witted oil trolls stumbled and fell against each other, cursing into the night air. Turning, he faced his tribe, alerting them to the promise of food. Their stomachs aching from hunger, the trolls huddled and whispered together, their noses twitching for the same scent. Soon they were all following the savory smell of roasting snake meat. Unknowingly, they were going into steep, cavern-riddled terrain.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Sporadic flashes of lightning cutting through the black sky exposed white puffs of smoke drifting out of the entrance to a cave. The gang of oil trolls moved together as one ugly mass of flesh toward the cavern. The tantalizing aroma of snake meat lured the trolls to the opening of a darkened cave entrance.
Saliva began to drip from the corners of their purple lips at the thought of meat in their mouths; they gnashed their sharpened teeth in anticipation. The male trolls’ long mouths and swollen lips grinned with excitement as the smell of cooking meat dilated their pupils. Whispering in slow, high-pitched voices, with hunger biting at them their whispers soon escalated into shrill shrieks. Females following behind also had high- pitched voices, but spoke very fast. Flitting and chattering, they would wait patiently for the male trolls to scare off their victim, then place the stolen meat into baskets that hung from their backs.
Some of the male oil trolls carried ropes to lasso their prey. Others carried staffs with crooks at the end with which to pull their victims away. Fortified with primitive weapons, their only thought was the snake meat that would soon satisfy their hoggish appetites.
Cowards at heart, oil trolls hunted in gangs certain to outnumber their victims. Outside Zote’s cave this gang announced their presence by pounding on otter skin drums as they stomped their clawed feet, ranting and warbling a savage cry. All the while, they kept their bulging eyes on the cave’s entrance, waiting for the inhabitant to show himself. The sight of the oil trolls’ frenzied dance was enough to frighten away any normal troll. What they did not know was this cave was home to an unusual troll.