1 Tell me a story...
A moment passes, and then They speak together, Her voice echoing over His in unison, yet it was broken and incomplete, unlike anything the winter cub has ever heard. They continue to utter broken speech until Their words form a clear sentence the cub can understand. "You mistake us for something else entirely."
The winter cub tilts her head wonderingly, taken back by Their shared voices, but still curious all the same. Perhaps They are lost too. She needs to know more. "But, you look like one. What else would you be if not a storyteller?"
They pause as if considering the question. As if They could be anything else. Shyly Their gaze drops for They already know the answer to that question.
"I don't know," He answers first, His voice echoing over Hers for the first time in a long time. The distinct difference only draws the cub closer, her curiosity overtaking common sense. So unafraid, it bothers Them. They sink back further into the dark.
The cub panics, desperately trying to get Their attention as she hurries across the vertebrae column that bridges the chasm. She needs to get to the other side before They disappear from her view completely if she has any chance of having her questions answered. "Wait! Don't go! Maybe I can help you!" And in truth, she does want to help them. But all she hears as They fade into the darkness is Their words echoing off the walls, like a fading whisper as if They've become a spirit, "Go home little cub. I do not wish to harm you."
The cub stops at the end of the thoracic, just between the shoulder blades and the cervical vertebrae connecting the skull. She's lost sight of them now but doesn't truly believe They are gone. There's a cracking sound before an abrupt shift in the spine. Before realizing what is happening, the skeleton of one of the ancient beasts falters and collapses, sending the cub plummeting into the abyss.
Her screams are deafening, ringing throughout the cave system until a swift motion of wind catches her. Heart still pounding hard in her chest, her eyes squint open to find Them standing over her, together and safe on the other side. The sight of her savior causes all the tension in her body to fade, a soft smile spreading across her face. Their eyes are wide with fear but harden at that smile.
The cub's chest rises and falls taking on a calmer rhythm, her body visibly relaxing with every exhale. "I knew you would never harm me," she says after a moment. "Storytellers never harm anyone unless they were bad things."
"I am not a storyteller," They snap with a snarl before disappearing back into the dark.
