Kye subtly kept an eye on her making sure she wasn't over doing it on her ankle. But he wasn't going to tell her to stay off it. He knew that she wouldn't listen to him first of all. And secondly, he also knew that she could look after herself.
(She wouldn't listen.)
Hunter looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary, except all the death.
(That's why he won't tell her to stay off it)
Kye walked over and stood by the words, looking around them. He noticed a small indent in the stone. He waved at Hunter, silently calling her over.
She moved over to him, ignoring her ankle, which screamed her. She examined it.
It had a small sapling shape carved into it. Though it almost looked like a key hole more than anything. Then Kye thought of something. He reached into his satchel and pulled out an odd looking key. It had a sapling shape as well. "Do you think this would work?" he showed t to her.
"Maybe. Where'd you get it?"
"I picked it up a while back, while we were still in the town," he signed. "Should I try it?"
"Sure," she signed. I wonder where they seller got it… she thought to herself.
"A seller didn't have it. I found it on the ground," he turned and slipped the key into the hole. Then he twisted it and the ground began shaking.
"Oh," she signed.
A huge crack split in the ground under them. "Uh oh," Kye said aloud, but was drowned out by the cracking of the ground around them.
Hunter almost fell through a crack. Her eyes widened in panic, though, when she heard the noise, and she stared worriedly at the forest.
Kye heard it as well, desperately trying to keep his balance. He noticed Hunter's panicked looked. Then his leg fell through a crack. He went down on to his other knee to stop himself from falling into the crack.
She grabbed his hand and hauled him back up, wincing at the pain in her ankle.
Kye nodded thanks to her then turned his attention back to the forest. What was making Hunter so anxious?
Gesturing for Kye to follow, Hunter ran towards the tree. "Come on!" She yelled, not bothering with silence. "We have to get to a height. They already know we're here."
Kye followed sprinting towards the tree. "Who knows we're here?"
"Them," she said simply. She scrambled up the tree, narrowly avoiding a crack. Howls filled the air.
The ground shook violently knocking Kye to the ground. He could hear the howls, and didn't want to be on the ground when they got there. Pushing himself up he launched himself into the tree scrambling up after Hunter.
She clambered to the highest branch before glancing down. Kye was still too close to the ground. She could see shapes moving through the edge of the forest, and she paled.
Kye stopped and glanced back down, regretting his choice, because it caused him to freeze. A huge crack was spreading, going straight towards the tree.
Hunter reached into her pack and grabbed a rope. She tossed it down to him and stared in fear at the figures. They were coming for her…
Kye stared at the crack in horror. It wasn't stopping. He noticed the rope next to him and glanced up, Hunter hadn't noticed the crack. Then the whole tree lurched causing Kye to fall from the branch. He caught a different branch, and hung there from his arms.
She cursed. The crack sensed her. She knew it. Or… whatever was in it.
The whole tree suddenly started sinking into the ground. Then it started going sideways. "Shit!" Kye pulled himself up, and scrambled up the tree towards Hunter. The tree started falling, slowly at first. Reaching Hunter Kye wrapped himself around her, knowing that she probably wouldn't like it, but not letting go as the tree crashed to the ground.