Flamingo A3, Early Thursday Morning. (NFB)
Burrowed under a pile of sheets and blankets, eyes moving rapidly under closed eyelids, Callisto dreamed.
The girl scrambled up the tree with a speed born of familiarity, barely even pausing to check her path. She reached for the next branch, frowning as it creaked ominously. It hadn't done that last time. Glaring at the trunk, she pulled out her dagger. Just as she went to notch the bark, something caught the corner of her eye.
Smoke? Quickly switching to a perch with a better view, she started searching for traces of a fire in the distance. She frowned. That much smoke, the forest should have been in flames.
"Squirt!"
Ignoring the voice, she watched the smoke, eyebrows creased in thought. It looked wrong, pale and wispy, not the thick black choking clouds Papa always described.
"Hey, squirt, you know I can see up your skirts?"
Immediately forgetting the smoke, she meeped, before glaring down at the speaker. "Can not!"
"Can so! Lovely shade too."
She leapt down from the tree, tackling the older, taller boy. "Take it back!"
"Nope," he laughed, easily keeping her at arm's length. "Your father told me to kept an eye on you. So I did."
"If you don't I'll…" She broke off as a bright red line appeared across his throat, and his laughter took on a bubbling, choking edge. "Darius?"
Dull, glassy eyes regarded her, and thick, viscous blood dripped down his neck, staining his tunic. "Something wrong, squirt?"
"No," she whimpered, backing away. "This can't be happening…"
Callisto's eyes flew open and she regarded the walls of her empty alcove. Shivering despite the heat, she wrapped her blanket tighter around herself. "Not again."
[ooc: open to any Flamingos who might be around]
The girl scrambled up the tree with a speed born of familiarity, barely even pausing to check her path. She reached for the next branch, frowning as it creaked ominously. It hadn't done that last time. Glaring at the trunk, she pulled out her dagger. Just as she went to notch the bark, something caught the corner of her eye.
Smoke? Quickly switching to a perch with a better view, she started searching for traces of a fire in the distance. She frowned. That much smoke, the forest should have been in flames.
"Squirt!"
Ignoring the voice, she watched the smoke, eyebrows creased in thought. It looked wrong, pale and wispy, not the thick black choking clouds Papa always described.
"Hey, squirt, you know I can see up your skirts?"
Immediately forgetting the smoke, she meeped, before glaring down at the speaker. "Can not!"
"Can so! Lovely shade too."
She leapt down from the tree, tackling the older, taller boy. "Take it back!"
"Nope," he laughed, easily keeping her at arm's length. "Your father told me to kept an eye on you. So I did."
"If you don't I'll…" She broke off as a bright red line appeared across his throat, and his laughter took on a bubbling, choking edge. "Darius?"
Dull, glassy eyes regarded her, and thick, viscous blood dripped down his neck, staining his tunic. "Something wrong, squirt?"
"No," she whimpered, backing away. "This can't be happening…"
Callisto's eyes flew open and she regarded the walls of her empty alcove. Shivering despite the heat, she wrapped her blanket tighter around herself. "Not again."
[ooc: open to any Flamingos who might be around]