Monster hunters

Static the sugarnix, Harpie the draphibi and Bluppy the bettabo were travelling across the desert to Labrinthe in search of one of these ‘monsters’ Harpie had claimed to see. Apparently, the beast was very, big compared to Harpie, with terrifying eyes, green scales, grey spikes... and luckily it didn’t see him. 

According to Harpie’s story, he had to hide behind a rock to avoid getting seen and, if he had been seen, he may not be here now. 

Static didn’t seem to care, or be worried at all. He looked around calmly, occasionally bushing out his fur, flicking sand everywhere. He sometimes closed his eyes, relishing the warm sun. He had also gotten into a small habit of yelping in a pretend fear to scare the others. However, after a firm slap from Harpie, he had stopped after his seventh try. Bluppy, however, was terrified out of his skin. 

Every Sand ‘Storm’ (small gusts of wind that blow up a few grains of sand. Something you and me wouldn’t notice, but to the tiny Bluppy, they were impossible not to notice), he would squeak and bury his face into Static’s fur, upon who’s back he was riding. Every Whip of the wind he would fall from the Sugarnix’s back and twist wildly in fear of possibly being left behind, only stopping when Harpie lifted him back up. And every time they approached a dune, he would fear a huge monster would appear behind it.

Harpie was feeling a mixture of determination, fear and excitement. He was certain the monster he had seen was real, how could it not be? He could remember seeing it approaching, and racing behind a rock just in time to avoid its sight. It had hung around for a few seconds, and Harpie was sure it could smell him. But, after a few terrifying moments, it had continued walking. His friends hadn’t believed him (well, not Static anyways) and now he was determined to prove them wrong. And exited to see the shock on their faces. But of course scared to face the monster again.

They had just passed the top of a dune when they could see the sand fading into Labrinthe. Static pricked his ears, Bluppy  dug his head deeper into the Sugarnix’s fur and Harpie lifted his head in determination. They wandered down the dune and stopped where the sand started to fade, not daring to venture into the dangers of Labrinthe.

They began to walk along the border of the two places, Bluppy even more terrified and digging his head even further into Static’s fur, causing him to welp as the Bettabo caught his skin. Bluppy squeaked his apology and lifted his head slightly to reveal Harpie frozen in his tracks. 

Bluppy stiffened and prodded Static’s neck with his tiny foot. The Sugarnix turned to see Harpie staring back where they had come. He padded over to look in the same direction to see a silhouette of what looked like a wing-less dragon. Bluppy whispered a terrified squeak, trying to make himself small. Static squinted at the figure, trying to get a better view. 

Suddenly, Harpie began running the other direction, closely followed by his friends, and again followed by the figure. They hid behind a rock, panting, and Bluppy trying Not to faint. They heard footsteps on the other side of the rock, and all held their breath. The thing soon left, they could tell from the sound of footsteps, and they all released a sigh of relief. 

They emerged from the rock and looked after the tracks in the sand. They looked like plain rectangles, with no other markings. It appeared it had four legs, which made sense from what they saw. The tracks led in the direction they were planning to head previously. Static and Harpie glanced at each other before following them. Bluppy wanted to squeak wildly at them not to, but he was too scared to make much noise.

They followed the tracks along the border for about five minutes before they saw the creature again. Ducking behind a rock, they peered at it again. It was no longer against the sun, so they could see it better now. The thing was just staring forward, and was releasing a series of clicks, squeaks and growls. It sounded like it was arguing, but with who?

Bluppy stayed low on Static’s back, but strained his neck forward slightly to listen. He was of course still anxious, not daring to make any noise or rise higher so the monster could see, but he couldn’t help but feel curious. It was... not exactly how Harpie has described. It was green, and had grey scales, yes, but it’s eyes weren’t terrifying. Actually.. where those.. google eyes? 

Bluppy squinted at the monster. Now, upon closer inspection, Its legs And neck seemed to be made of wooden poles, with an additional pole connecting the tail to the body. The grey spikes appeared to be made of foam, with small chunks falling off, revealing the yellow material beneath. The green scales looked like fabric, except with scales painted on using a darker paint. And the eyes were, in fact, googly eyes. 

Bluppy sat up a bit, no longer scared. He glanced at his friends to see if they had noticed. Static, unsurprisingly, was squinting at the ‘monster’ with disbelief. Harpie, however, was searching frantically for a place to hide, but unable to find one in an area so deserted. Bluppy slid off the back of Static, earning a terrified, whispered squeak from Harpie.

He approached the thing, Static wandering slowly behind. The Bettabo looked up at it, and discovered the noises were coming from the belly. He glanced at Static, tilting his head slightly. His friend nodded and leaped up, tugging on the fabric. Startled yelpes sounded inside the monster as the fabric slid off to reveal four Drajin.

Static yipped at them fiercely, and they flew hastily away. Harpie appeared beside them, mouth hung open. Static turned to him with another feirce yip, a few sparks flicking from his tail. Harpie looked back at him, a little embarrassed, and squeaked a sheepish apology.

Bluppy clambered back onto the back of his Sugarnix friend and they started back home. Bluppy was just glad to be safe.

---