cliff face he brushed through knee high elegantly bowing ferns and criss-crossing tree trunks. A mosquito stopped hovering about him vanishing. To his left was a bit of a drop, straight ahead a dead end leading to a view out into the mountains cradle like valleys below. Turning back a few steps and to the left was a crack that slit all the way up to the top of a rock face no bigger than the ones he had just climbed. Always taking the easy path or in this case the only path he turned and slipped in. The first bit of it was a bit of a squeeze but making it to the end of it two options presented themselves; one putting his back against the wall and climbing up or pushing forward down in to what was a large hole embedded in large rocks. The hole was too large to be an animal hole he thought given it wouldn’t have been able to fit in the way he came.
Fyodor wanted to go down but had no light to do so, so he stood and contemplated and eventually deciding to play it safe he left it and took his time getting back to camp.
Fyodor woke up pulled out the torches he had made last night and tied them to his rucksack, had something to eat and headed out. Striking the torch as he descended into the dark hole he had left previously. He kept descending the left wall of which became damp and mossy with dangling and sprawling veins of tree roots of all sizes. A small opening appeared which he crouched through crawling into a small cave which had a large whale mouthed opening leading out into a tranquil section of forest. Fyodor turned back into the darkness and found another tunnel at the very back which he ducked into and shuffled through in a crouched position. From here he came into a reasonably large cave where light was getting in from a hole high up on the far wall about the size of an owl. In the centre of this cave was a large pit that had no visible bottom he dropped a pebble in and heard it clunk on stone seconds after disappearing into the dark. A ledge tapered off to the left but was a dead end. Veering to a ledge at the right he was lead around to the other side moving into a pitch black cavern which made it all the more visible when Fio put the torch in front of him.
Pressing on slowly, he came across alternate paths and spent a good amount of his time leaving markers. Sitting down against a wall in a dome like cavern he took some time to rest. The domes ceiling was the tallest he’d come across which actually wasn’t saying very much. He tried to guess how long he had been gone as he nibbled on a snack which for some reason he got half way through chewing only to toss it aside. Picking up the torch again he searched around and found the only way to where he hadn’t been was to climb through a small hole. So getting on all fours he crawled again for about two meters or so until it gave way to a larger chamber where his light vanished, as in went out in a huff. It was at this point Fio was wondering why he had bothered to come so far.
He attempted to light it again, it proved resilient. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Immense dread smacked Fio so hard he slammed against a wall. He tried to get up scrambling with his back against the wall but the fear proved omnipotent and so he just slid back down into a huddle. “Name?! What’s your name!” Fio yelled franticly trying to find his flint.
“I suggest not lighting the torch. I... I am uglier than a toad you see...” Came the voice again strained but still thunderous making the ground hum. “Don’t be afraid.” It said sighing. “I came to this place just as you did in search of something new, that is all.” The voice paused. “No need to talk to yourself, ask away, my secrets are your secrets.”
“Well.” Fyodor irked, cleared his throat and willed his speech coming out a little loud but adjusting “What! Ahhh… are you?”
“Have you ever seen a wood roach?”
"I believe I have squashed many.” He said only to realise how stupid this was. “I am sorry do you mean…?”
“Yes just about, and as your question begs you can take a good enough guess at my size just by the sound of my voice; no? That I am monstrous.” Fyodor gulped. "I am more of a behemoth actually but I am guessing you dont know what one is."
“Why are you here exactly? I was having a wonderful nap and you came bursting in, but it’s okay don’t worry about it. I think it's time I moved on anyway. People don’t seem to like my voice you see, most of the time, you would get used to it you know.” The thing snapped “But I do love telling stories, let me tell you a story it’s a good one, I am full of good ones; it will put your mind at ease.” Fyodor shrugged, the behemoth sounded terribly lonely to him and saw no bother in sitting and listening as his mind begged to just collapse “fucking run or die!" it screamed; initially.
So on and on the monster talked. It sounded as if he was reading from a book he didn't stop. Fyodor rubbed his eyes that were now adjusting to the dark and could see right in front of him its eye like a campfire flame but in a glass ball. About 10minuties on Fio’s sight grew further: waves of plated armour began to appear that jolted like a ballista being armed. They looked as sturdy a fortress's main gate and yet the thing moved every now and then ever so slightly but with such ease bestowing its infinite strength. Only one side of its head could be seen the other half or so was buried in the furthest wall of the cavern and the rest of it was buried deep below. It was as if it had come up like a worm by accident hitting a pocket of air. A great ditch could be seen to the side which gave way to its mouth which looked to be capable of shovelling a couple of cows.
All throughout its yarn its eye would weave and sway back and forth sometimes focusing on him sometimes straight ahead into nothing but more often than not slanting down into memory. “It’s ok I knew you...” Fio snapped back to attention as it spoke to him directly. “weren’t going to listen to hard but it is nice to of had someone’s company. And for that I thank you.” It was now looking at Fyodor still sitting with his back up against the wall. “Now would be a good time to light that torch of yours, as I’m off.”
Fios mind now cleared and focused on not shitting itself. He recalled how long he must have been listening to it at which he face-palmed his tired face then rinsing out his chin he let out a great whimpering yawn.
The behemoth recoiled turning to leave but instead stopped and turned its head as it went to say “Oh.” At which it at sprang at Fio collapsing half the cavern as it did so and gulping Fyodor whole. “Arr gimmft." It mumbled with Fio in its mouth bouncing over its tongue then kissing the ground and arching back its head revealing a mucous drenched and flailing Fyodor.
“Garghhh!” He screamed and fluttered about like someone having a nightmare… as the giant creature slowly turned again but this time burying backwards from whence it came. Fyodor was left looking at the huge crater like depression it left at his feet which kept caving in on itself and then a chunk of roof dropped into it stopping Fios occupation with the goo and opening his jaw like a trap. He leapt up and ran for it diving back through the tunnel running straight into a wall landing flat on his arse only to pull out a torch as he sprang to his feet again. It wasn’t too hard to get out he was following the scent of mountain air turning this way and that, eventually coming across an exit not stopping running straight through out into the open until falling over a stump of grass crashing into some shrubs. He’d collapsed on his back frozen looking up past the tree tops at the blue sky gasping for air.
Relief swept over him but fear still teethed at his bones tingling. His torch had ignited a shrub and some grass which he promptly got up and stomped in a casual manner which served to make it worse so he got on all fours trying to stomp it out like a mad men using up his drinking water to do so. Breathing a sigh of relief after putting the fire out he wiped his brow and lay down again amongst the bushes for as long as his commonsense would let him. Finally getting up to get back to camp.
Slapping a hand on the top of the ledge to climb back in the three heard the noise and stretched for weapons only to see the muddy face and bombastic hair of Fyodor as he crawled over the ledge, getting up he walked mutely towards the fire with the three still staring at him and he staring at not much collapsed into a heap before them. The three ran to Fyodor's aid and as usual b
ustled about keeping the care constant.
Fio had trouble speaking coherently.
“Thanks” said Fyodor lying on his back once more “You won’t believe that, what I saw.”
“We thought you were dead under an avalanche” Pell coming to Fios side and putting a wet clothe on his forehead checking his bandages. “At least that’s what it sounded like from here. What happened?”
"It was a monster."
“Oh a monster.” said Kaiver slapping his knee and raising his eyebrows “Do tell?”
“Well” and Fio looked at Kaiver twice. "I've never seen anything like it.”
“Neither have we” Said Pell looking at him.
“If that was a living thing you had better fill us in Fyodor." Brewr said sitting by the fire.
“Ive cleaned you up and down and yet you still look like a burnt stick Fio.” Pell said absent mindedly.
“I still… we should get off this god forsaken mountain.” Brewr said only to realise what he had just said. His teeth were grinding.
“Tis a lovely place, do not speak of our home, if only temporary, as such dear Brewr”
"I am sure he was just kidding. However..." And Kaiver turned to Fio "Did this beast look