The leaves on the tree are screening me from casual view but are spaced far enough for me to look through. It helps that the leaves are a normal dark reddish hue, so I blend in perfectly. Across the pond some of the brush is still on fire, but it doesn't look like it's spreading much. As none of the swarmlings pay it much attention I decide to ignore it too. However, my ears twitch and turn to try and follow the sounds I hear outside the walls. There must be more ways in than that big door. The creatures standing in my room hadn't gone through the hatch, but I didn't see a door.

Most interesting is that sometimes there are bits of other noise, too short to make out. It starts to dawn on me I haven't heard any birds, the wind or any such sounds for a while now. Occasionally I can hear claws moving with the footsteps. Time passes and the constant footsteps are starting to wear on my nerves. Something is happening and I want to know what. I may be partially affected by the swarmlings below and around me. If it was normal they would ignore it, but I see too many twitching ears. The atmosphere is tense.

Footsteps start to converge on where the big doors are. The mechanism makes its sound and the door slides open. There I see what I now recognize as soldiers. Metal armor over a bright green tabbard, spears in hand. They spot the still smouldering fire. One barks something and another goes, probably to put it out. With them are some creatures that look a bit more fragile, but they are the ones taking charge. One of them brings a metal object to his mouth, breathes deeply and exhales sharply on it. A piercing sound fills the room. It's not like he needed it, all the swarmlings were already looking at them, more arriving from the adjacent rooms. The whistle doesn't get much of a reaction from them, but I nearly fall of my perch.

The Talker with the whistle speaks some words and turns around to start walking out of the room with all the swarmlings following. The soldiers fall in around the swarmlings and they start moving out. I'm torn between following and staying put. On one hand, I want to see what's going on. On the other hand, whatever it is it probably isn't safe for me. Common sense wins over curiosity and I stay put. I wonder for a moment why the swarmlings are so obedient, but following someone stronger than us comes natural. With plenty of food and the threat of violence, why bother? As much as I miss the old place, I can see myself getting used to being here.

With all the others gone, I go to explore every bit I can reach. Climbing up the walls I try to grab on to the roof of the hall. There is some kind of mostly transparent material there. My claws can't damage it and can find no purchase. Instead, I explore along the top of the walls. I can find no weak spots or imperfections. All along the top, the ceiling merges seamlessly with the wall. Next are all the rooms with open hatches.

As I expected there are swarmlings of around my age lying next to the cages which were used to bring them here. I take some time to check what may have been done to them and they all have a rune on their head, a little bit to the back. It looks to be burned into the skin and I wonder why the pain didn't bring them back to alertness. Carefully poking some doesn't get a reaction either, they're really out of it. It does give me a chance to have a closer look. The differences are mostly in the color patterns of the skin. Reds and black is dominant, but there are shades of brown, grey, green and blue as well.

Before long my interest wanes. What I really, really want to do now is to run, jump and just move! Aside from running away from things it feels like I've been locked up so long. Then there were all those strange swarmlings. It felt like one wrong move would get me eaten. I still don't quite know why they didn't when no-one was watching. Actually, I do know. The Talkers will probably figure out it was me if I eat anyone now. If I can figure it out, I should assume they will be able to do so too. Back on topic. Let's have fun.

And so I do. Rushing up and down the trees, jumping from branch to branch, into the water and out again. Around rocks and trees, through tall bushes and feeling the grass tickle me. Occasionally there is a snack of some leaves before I take off again. This is probably the safest I've felt since the last time I was hanging on the flank of a brood-tender. The sheer joy of being able to relax is not something I have thought of before and I revel in the sense of it. It takes me some time to calm down and regain some of my rational thinking. First is a drink from the pond. The water is surprisingly clear, considering it is stagnant without a visible source, weird. Next is more food. I'm confident there are more scraps to find at the feeding place, even if it's been a bit trampled by now.

Naturally, I'm right. It takes some effort to dig the pieces of bone and offal out of the dirt, but they taste fine all the same. As I carefully pick up the shattered pieces of a bone of some kind there is a sound I don't recognize. Startled my ears go every direction to try and pick up the source while I straighten slowly to look around. Nothing. Just as slowly my fingers and eyes continue their constant quest for food, but my ears are alert. Still nothing. I scour the area without hearing or seeing anything suspicious. Was I too cautious?

I make for the pond again. Some nice quality quartz or ore rich silica would be fine, but dirt and dust feels uncomfortable, so it's best to wash it out. My steps halt for a moment as I try to process the information suddenly flowing into my mind about rocks. I've never thought rocks had such variety and richness until now. Step by step I start moving again, my thoughts firmly on rocks. Not firmly enough not to notice movement to my side. It's one of the Talkers, with a net! My instinct tells me what to do and so far it has always been right. Desperately I jump towards the man, inside his reach and past the net!

My claws easily grab hold of his shoulders and upper body and I scream in his face. The feeling as I pierce his clothes and his flesh is very satisfying. Biting down hard on his face I feel the sweet taste of blood fill my mouth and the scent hangs in the air. The Talker screams back at me and stumbles. As he starts to fall backwards my powerful rear legs come into play, claws finding something solid to push off of on his body and launching me past the wounded Talker, straight into another net! I try to claw my way out, but the material resists my efforts. I lash my sharp tail behind me and hit nothing but air. A careless hand reaches for me and I slash at it, leaving a bloody rip. Screams are all around me now and I join in with my own screeches. I'm not even thinking, just letting my body react to what is happening around me.

Something slams against my head and stuns me. As I try to recover, both my front and rear limbs are tied together. With a pull on my limbs I slide over the ground and a hand grabs my neck. Instinct comes in play again and I stop resisting completely. Once something grabs my neck in a way I can't break out of, my body surrenders. It may have surrendered, but the will to fight is still coursing through my body and my limbs twitch and tremble with barely repressed intent. My mind doesn't surrender, and my eyes continue scanning around. There are way more Talkers than I had expected.

One is making pathetic noises on the ground with another pushing on the wounds on his chest. It's hard to see, but those hands seem to be glowing. The wound on his face makes me check if I still got the bite, but I probably dropped it somewhere with all the screaming, pity. Next to them is a Talker standing with his hand close to his chest, clutching his wrist tightly. Despite my situation I feel very satisfied. A rough hand grabs my head and turns me to face another way. This means there is at least one more holding me.

Make that two more, in front of me is a talker in long clothes, robes. I'm startled when I recognize it is made from swarmling skin. Would something like that help me too? Should I stop eating all of my food? In his hand he has a thin glowing stick thing. Again I'm turned, the other way this time, and hands clamp down on my body and head. I have a suspicion about what is going to happen and am not disappointed. A searing pain assaults me as what seems to be a hole is made in the back of my head, at least it feels that way. Then that pain traces several lines in what I bet is the same pattern as I saw on the unconscious swarmlings.

The immediate pain stops but the back of my head still feels like it's on fire. Wait, being on fire didn't hurt at all, why did I think that? Suddenly it feels like something hits my head again, the pain spreading inside my head this time. Barely holding off losing my senses I try to focus on what is going on. I feel light for a moment as if I'm falling before hitting the ground. They just dropped me here! I'd teach them to respect me if I wasn't tied up. For sure. Around me the Talkers are talking now, instead of yelling and I try to listen again.

"Hurn, how is Firad doing and give me the status on Justa."

"The bleeding on his hand has been stopped, but someone needs to tend it properly soon. With Justa I've managed to save her chest, but she'll have another scar on her face."

"You know her priorities. Good job. Listen up! all of you in the back too! THIS is why you do NOT tackle a demon of any size alone. Killing is easy, but they fight like... like demons when you're trying to capture them." He looks around with a stern expression, occasionally looking at one of the Talkers for a bit longer. "Practice your light and sound skills - this is what happened when we surprised one, imagine if it had spotted us! Everyone, dismissed! Bloody hell what a mess this was."

The last is spoken softly and I doubt anyone but me heard it, but I still don't know what it meant. However, there was the occasional word that made sense in the cacophony of sound now. Quite proud of my speed of learning this language thing my expression turns into a smirk, which I regret when my head reminds me it hurts. A face appears in my vision.

"Stop looking so damn self-satisfied you little piece of shit."

I'm sure it wasn't a compliment, but I'll take it as one anyway.

A stick-thing with a noose is fitted around my neck and attached to the rope at my forelimbs. Now my head moves only somewhat to the side and I can't bend it backwards or forwards any more. Another stick comes into view, this time with two hooks. The ropes around my limbs are hooked onto them and I'm lifted off the ground. A devious plan enters my mind, but before I can act on it someone grabs my tail and secures it too. Damn.

"Don't worry, I can carry this alone, it barely weighs a thing."

"Why are we bothering with this anyway, was it really worth it?"

"It was already being summoned, that's why it's up and about despite the drugs and draining. You know the orders."

I'm listening intently to the conversations while I look at the shrubbery, trees and rocks of my home for a short time disappear. I'd love to see where we're going, but the way I'm being held makes it so I can only look in the direction we're coming from. We pass the big door which is slowly sliding closed again. Another big door, a hall and a big door and suddenly we are outside. Despite my situation I take a deep breath. I've missed the sounds of the outside. Unfortunately I don't hear them here. All I can hear are footsteps and Talkers talking.

The air still smells good. It smells like it will rain soon and something in me stirs. The two things on my back, which i thought were horns for a time, twitch. They really are my third set of limbs, they just haven't developed yet. I'd been wondering about it quietly for some time now. The building we've left behind is fully visible now. It's built into rock wall, which is why there was natural rock on three sides. The roof and the front are fully constructed. Nearby are some smaller buildings. Other roofs and walls are visible. It's likely those house other creatures.

We stop for a moment as we probably reach our destination. We walk past a doorpost. Rather, they walk past a doorpost and my head slams into it. I shake my head to regain some clarity and slowly the flashing and black blobs recede. We're in another building. It's all stone and we're going down. And down. And down. It's a long way and with nothing to see and no idea how long it's going to take I get restless. I'm still listening with one ear for the talking of the Talkers, but it still barely makes sense. Maybe I'm not such a fast learner as I thought. I try to swish my tail in annoyance and find it still tied down. The Talker holding me up shakes me rudely.

"We're almost there, stop it."

I screech at full volume. Am I tempting fate? Will they kill me now? If they wanted me dead they would have done so already. At this point, I don't care. Some exclamations of which I'm sure they're curses are my reward, as well as a harder shake. The walking stops again and I hear a fist hit wood.

"Hey Harijia! We have one for you!"

"Toss it in five, that one is free now."

I hear a sound which is probably the door opening and we move again. This time only my ears have a brush with the doorpost. I can't see Harijia, whatever that is, but the room we're in now leads to a corridor in one direction where I can see large cages, cells. As the talkers finish talking, they turn around to that direction and I can see Harijia. It's not a Talker! The best I can guess is that it is a serpi-like creature grown to a size bigger than a Talker with four limbs. A forked tongue quickly flits out and back in. Not long after I am tossed in one of the cells on my side. My tail is released, then my limbs. The stick with the noose is used to keep me pinned to the floor. Suddenly the noose loosens and is gone! A moment later the cell door closes. I'm still stuck, just a different kind of noose.

As the Talkers leave the Harijia approaches.

"Well, lets put you to work right away, shall we."

I can understand this thing! Completely! it is so similar to the body and sound language the swarmlings use! I hiccup a "Wait!" and rush to the cell door. The Harijia looks at me with cold eyes, not that it has anything else, and blinks with the secondary eyelids.

"Calm down, little one. I'm sure you have questions. Why you're here, what is happening and what the weird thing happening to you is. You want to know if it's safe here and when there will be food." She uses a sharp nail to cut her palm and drops some blood on the floor.

Her accent is a bit off, but I indicate with all I can that Yes, I want to know! What is happening! Where am I! And is there any food!

She seems amused. "Well, sucks to be you. Just do as you're told. We'll talk later, I have things to finish."

With that she slithers off and I notice signs, runes on the floor lighting up. slowly the light spreads along the walls of the cell. It's similar to that circle with the yellow haired girl. My vision is already starting to turn white. I'm really beginning to hate this. It takes longer this time, but I experience the same feeling of being crushed, compressed and moved off in some weird direction before my vision returns.

I'm in a stone room. A similar circle as in my cell is fading around me. In front of me I see a glowing crystal, a figure that looks like a tiny Talker without horns, pale skin and some really stupid wings and a huge monstrous cat-thing. I can't keep my eyes off the cat thing. It's not like the one that killed me, but it's still very scary.

"Ahem."

It's the one with the ridiculous wings that speaks. "Can you understand me? Just think back what you want to answer."

I consider my answer for a moment. For some reason I really want to send back "No."

"Aha ha ha. very funny." She smiles a very snarly smile. Did I just accidentally send no?

"Welcome to the Dungeon of MariTaku. I'm Mari, a dungeon fairy and this," she gestures at the shiny crystal, "is Takuya. He's the Dungeon core and we will defend him. He likes us to get along like a happy family and wants to be introduced to you personally, even though he can't speak with you. This kitty here is Seo. He's a big softy and won't harm anyone without a reason. If you just follow some simple instructions, we'll get along fine!"

I look at her angry eyes and at the big cat. The message is clear. She's in charge, the core is stupid, the cat will eat me if I don't follow her orders. "Yes, Mari," is all I send back. She smiles her superiority at me and I bow my head in submission.