Lucky had been expecting the source of the glow to be some form of natural annoyance. Something like a firefly, or perhaps a bit of bioluminescent lichen, maybe even the shine of the full moon itself. What he had most definitely not been expecting however, was the sight which now greeted him. Laying against the rock, not even a foot away, was the map he had let slip from his grasp earlier. At least he assumed it was the same map, but their map certainly hadn't been glowing an hour ago. On the compass rose in the top left corner, one of the ornate directional arrows was emitting a steady bright glow. So bright in fact, that he could actually see the entire map clearly even though full night was upon them.
Quickly getting to his hooves, Lucky stared down at the map incredulously for a long moment before finally throwing his hooves up in disgust and shouting, "Really?! Now!? You decide to do this now!? Why couldn't you have done this a week ago!?"
The tenuous grip on sleep that Lore had finally achieved was broken as the noise brought him back to reality. "Lucky, for the love of Luna, just shut up and go to sleep. I'm tired enough as it is, and I don't need you keeping me up all night," he muttered groggily.
"It's not my fault!" Lucky spluttered, "It's your stupid map! It's apparently decided that now is a good time to start glowing of all things!"
"What the hay are you on about now?" Lore sighed as he turned his head toward Lucky and forced his heavy lids open. Sleep rapidly fled him as the full weight of the scene sunk slowly through the fog on his mind. It reignited the dying embers of hope deep inside him. In moments he was wide awake and staring at the map curiously. "Well... that's certainly new."
Lucky rolled his eyes in exasperation at the obvious comment. His annoyance with the map was combining with his lack of sleep to worsen his already sour mood. "Thank you for that insightful observation, Sherclop. Do you have any more deductions to share, or are you done astounding us with your brilliance?"
"Actually, Trotson, I do. So if you listen quietly you might actually learn something." Lore countered smartly. The more he had looked at the scene, the more everything had started to make sense. All the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place for him. Shifting his gaze from the map, Lore got to his hooves and began to circle the rock, inspecting it closely as he reasoned aloud. "From the evidence, it is apparent that more than just simple preservative spells were placed upon the map." He saw Lucky about to interject and raised a hoof to neatly silence him. "Please hold all questions and comments until the end. Thank you."
Biting back a retort, Lucky scowled at his friend and settled in for what he was sure would be another of Lore's lectures. He wasn't wrong.
Lore turned his attention back to the rock and cleared his throat before continuing. "Now the map certainly wasn't glowing yesterday, so the question is, why are the spells activating now? What has changed between last night and now?"
Lucky remained silent to the rhetorical questions and simply waited for Lore to continue. He knew better than to try speaking out now. Ever since Lore had been a guest professor at Pranceton for a semester, he would get this way when he was 'teaching'. Once his friend entered 'lecture mode', little short of a rampaging chimera could stop him, and even then Lucky wouldn't be so quick to bet on the chimera. Lore was about as likely to reprimand the thing and send it back to its seat as anything else.
Just as Lucky had predicted, Lore moved right on, answering his own question. "The answer is actually quite obvious." He placed a hoof against the rock and patted it to indicate the direction of his thoughts. "Since the landscape around here is identical in all other regards, the only possible answer is Jeffrey here. However, I believe that is only one piece of the puzzle. We've been here before, several times in fact, and yet the map never reacted until now. This leads me to believe there must have been additional factors to triggering the spell."
Lucky had never been one for long lectures or big speeches. He preferred to keep things short and simple, with the exception of elaborate pranks and jests of course. But now, as Lucky was forced to listen to Lore drone on, he could practically feel his eyes glazing over as his former irritation slowly turned into boredom and weariness.
Heedless of his disinterested audience, Lore continued to expound upon his conclusions. "The most likely of which, in my opinion, would be the moon. When we were last here, the moon wasn't full as it is now." He gestured up to the night sky to emphasize his point as he spoke. "If my assumption is correct, then I believe the 'Arvandor's eye' from our clue, is in fact, the moon. If this is true, then I suspect Jeffrey here is the 'heru of the plains'." Lore ran his hoof over the rock slowly as he scrutinized it. "The evidence seems to agree with me. For one, the shape is more uniform than you would normally find in nature. And you see here, Jeffrey has been weathered unevenly. The top face is much rougher than the sides, indicating that it has been exposed to the elements for a shorter period of time. If you look down toward the bottom, where the damage is the lightest, you can faintly make out the weathered remains of what might have been carved ornamentation at one point."
Lucky's head dipped down slightly as if to observe the proffered evidence, but in reality the lecture was starting to make him fall asleep. All he could seem to think about now was curling up against the rock and finding the sleep that had so eluded him tonight.
"I believe our friend Jeffrey here used to be a statue or pedestal in the distant past. Most likely he broke at some point, leading to the uneven weathering," Lore stated as he gave the boulder a satisfied pat. "Possibly it was given its own spells, or perhaps the rock itself has some special properties. Whatever the case may be, I believe contact with Jeffrey caused the spell on the map to become primed, allowing the light of the full moon to trigger it." Lore picked up the map and spread it fully atop the boulder where he could study the glowing arrow more easily. "Now it seems that light will guide the way, just as the clue said." He stated with a light tap on the compass rose.
"We've inadvertently solved the puzzle it seems." Lore said with a smile. "It's about time we had some good luck. I'd say we were overdue, wouldn't you?" Lore chuckled lightly at the obvious understatement as he turned back to celebrate with Lucky, only to find his assistant practically comatose. With a glare, he gave Lucky's hoof an irritated kick. "Have you heard a single word I've said?!"
Lucky looked up at him slowly and blinked away the fog that had begun to settle over his mind. He did his best to stifle a yawn as he summarized the lecture, but was only marginally successful. "I think so. You finally figured out the clue, Jeffrey is more than just an ordinary rock, and he fixed your map with his special powers. In short, Jeffrey is awesome. Now can we finally go to sleep?"
"Sleep?! What do you mean sleep?! We can't sleep now!" Lore said fervently. "We have to follow the map while we can! What if the spell dissipates in the morning?! If we don't follow it now, we may never get another chance!"
Born from his overwhelming desire to sleep, and subsequently not go wandering around in the dark, Lucky had a rare moment of calm logical thought, untouched by his usual wit and sarcasm. "Look Lore, it's late. I'm tired, you're tired. How far would we really get in our state? What if we got stuck out there again? I think we should get some sleep while we can. It's only the first night of the full moon anyway, so we still have two more days before it's gone. If we wake up and the spell is still active, we'll follow it. If not, we'll get some more rest and set out once it activates again."
Lore was dumbstruck. In all the time he had known Lucky, this bizarre phenomenon had occurred perhaps a dozen times at most. To him, it was like watching a miracle unfold. Stranger still, Lucky had ultimately been proven right in each case, leaving Lore with a wary respect for these unusual occurrences. With that in mind, Lore took a calming breath and considered their situation anew. As much as he hated to admit it, Lucky was making more sense than he was at the moment. They had no real idea how the spell worked or what it actually did. Following the map blindly now was as likely to get them killed as not. After a few moments of quiet thought, Lore sighed and reluctantly gave in. "It makes sense. Even if I don't particularly like the idea, it does seem to be our safest course of action at the moment."
"Great! I'll see you in the morning then." Lore announced as he rolled onto his side. "Oh, and turn out the map before you go to bed would you?" He added as an afterthought before drifting off to pursue the sleep he so desired.
Sleep proved more elusive for Lore however. He lay on his back and stared at the stars as he tried to calm his racing mind, but his efforts proved futile in the end. Thoughts of the map and their quest consumed him as only his scholarly pursuits could. Many restless hours passed before exhaustion finally claimed him and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
* * *
Dawn came all too soon for the tired stallions, rousing them from the small peace that sleep offered and sending them back into the harsh reality of their waking world. They rubbed at stiff muscles and groaned with the awakening of dull aches as the gnawing hunger and thirst that were their constant companions settled back over them. The dried fruit and grain cakes they ate did little to quiet their hunger and only seemed to make them more aware of their keen thirst. It was a sharp reminder of just how dire their situation was.
As Lucky rationed out the day's water, Lore turned his attention upward. He scanned the sky as he had every morning, desperately searching for signs of rain, but finding only another day of clear skies before them. Never had Lore cursed fair weather more than he did now. With only enough water left to see them through tomorrow and no rain in sight, their only chance for survival now lay in finding Taurelond. He only prayed that they might find water with it.
Only once they had dealt with all other concerns did they finally turn to regard the map. The ancient parchment still lay spread upon the rock where Lore had left it, but whether or not it still glowed was uncertain in the strong light of day.
Lucky hesitated a moment before hardening his resolve and moving closer to see where his decision had led them. The glow of the map was noticeably fainter in the light of day, but it was still there. As Lucky picked up the map and held it before him, he slowly turned and tilted it experimentally, watching the glowing arrow as it moved around the compass rose to hold its direction steady. "Well, it looks like the map is still working," He said cheerily.
Lore let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in a relieved sigh. "That's something, at least. Now let's go before it changes its mind."
Following the map, it turned out, was just like being lost. They trudged along through the endless sea of grass just as they had before, with no landmarks to guide them and no clear destination on the horizon. The only difference was that they now periodically checked the map to make sure they were still going in the right direction. It was dreadfully dull, yet peaceful in a way their journey had not been since they had become lost. Finally having some semblance of direction again had done much to ease their anxiety. They continued to talk little to spare their dry throats, but their renewed vigor was evident in other ways. Lucky's gait once again held some of his former energy, and the scowl that had been ever-present on his face of late was all but gone.
In contrast to Lucky's new-found energy, the signs of Lore's increased spirits were much more subtle. Their renewed hope of survival had lifted the veil of doubt and guilt from his mind temporarily. Lore found his thoughts clearer and his mind more ordered than it had been in days, and he intended to take full advantage of it. Using the time to relax and contemplate some of the questions the map had raised, he quickly became lost in thought. Soon Lore's pace slowed to a more leisurely walk and he began to drop back, leaving Lucky to lead the way.
It wasn't until three hours later that Lore recalled himself and looked around. With a start, he realized that Lucky was no longer in front of him. After a few moments of panicked searching he spotted Lucky off to his right, still plodding along and blissfully ignorant of Lore's absence. Chastising himself for wandering so far, he turned and hurried to catch up with Lucky, lest he be left behind completely.
As Lore moved to intercept his friend, he began to notice something odd about Lucky's fading trail through the grass. It wasn't Lore who had wandered, but Lucky. There was a subtle curving to Lucky's path which had resulted in their separation, but it only became clear at a distance. If Lore had been keeping up, he never would have noticed it, and it was very likely that Lucky himself had not yet realized it either. Moistening his parched lips, Lore raised his voice and called out to Lucky as he drew closer. "Hey Lucky, wait up a minute! Are you sure we're going the right way?"
A puzzled expression crossed Lucky's face as he turned to meet Lore. "What are you talking about? Of course we're going the right way... Wait, how did you get all the way over there?"
Lore shook his head at the question as he caught up. "Nevermind that, just check the map. I think we might have wandered."
Shrugging, Lucky pulled out the map and began to unroll it. "Fine, but I'm telling you, I just checked it and we're going the right way..." His voice trailed off and his brow began to furrow as he inspected the map. "But... That's not possible. I swear I just checked it. We were right on course!" He turned to face the direction Lore had been walking and looked up. "It's pointing this way now, but... wait that's..." He squinted at the map for a moment, as if that would magically change something about it, "This is the same direction it was pointing before, but then how did I..." He gave Lore a concerned look. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure, but..." Lore paused a moment as he chose his words carefully. "It's probably nothing, but just to be safe I think you should keep a close eye on the map... and I think I should trail you again just in case." It was a sign of just how unnerved Lucky was by this that he said nothing to Lore and simply nodded his assent.
As the two resumed their travel, they left behind the brief illusion of peace they had known. This unsettling incident had torn the veil from their eyes and left behind only the growing remnants of their old anxiety. This shortly proved to be a blessing rather than a curse. If Lore had not been so wary, then he might not have noticed when Lucky's trail began to curve off to the left two hours later. As it was, he managed to catch the subtle shifting and correct it before Lucky led them too far off course. It became evident to them that something was at work here that they did not fully understand. When Lore pointed this out and suggested that perhaps they should stop to eat, Lucky was only too happy to agree.
Their 'meal' hardly deserved the name. The trail cakes were dry and hard, and did little to sooth their hunger, but it was enough to survive on and that's all that mattered. They washed down their lunch with a few sips of their precious water as they rested under the noonday sun. It wasn't nearly enough to slake their thirst, but the small mouthfuls of warm stale water felt good on their dry throats, if only for a time. Neither particularly wanted to resume their endless trek, but again, the knowledge of one's own imminent demise can be a powerful motivator.
Lore stood and wearily pulled his bags back on. "Let's go. We still have a lot of ground to cover" he said, as Lucky rummaged through his pack.
Letting out a sigh, Lucky pulled out the worn scroll and opened it. "I know, just let me check the map first." He stared at it for a time, his expression growing more concerned by the second, until he finally looked back up at Lore. "Um, we got a problem." He held up the map for Lore's inspection. "The little glowing arrow is gone."
"What?!" Lore exclaimed as he grabbed the map from Lucky and began to furiously inspect it himself. Sure enough, the glowing arrow that had been their only guide was gone. "Well," he paused, searching for the right words. Generally Lore didn't like to curse. He found it rather crude, but even he admitted that sometimes there was just nothing else that could adequately sum up a situation. This was one of those times. "Shit." He stared at the map for a time, considering and discarding many possible theories for its deactivation before finally settling on the most likely one. "I think it might have simply lost its charge."
"What do you mean?" Lucky asked.
"Well, If the map was using moonlight as a power source, then it's possible that leaving it out all night allowed it to build up a reserve. It was probably using that reserve to work during the day, and now it's run out." Lore explained.
"Woah woah woah!" Lucky held up a hoof to stop him before he could continue. "Are you actually trying to tell me the map ran out of batteries?!"
Lore thought about this for a moment then slowly nodded. "I suppose I am."
Lucky groaned as he flopped back on the ground "And me without any duracolts. That's just great." Lifting his head slightly to look at Lore he asked, "So what do we do now?"
Lore spread out the map and lay down next to it using his bag as a pillow. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some sleep. We'll have to head out again when the moon rises to make up for lost time."
There wasn't much else for Lucky to do except follow Lore's example, and as he settled in he reaffirmed once again how much he 'hated this trip'.
Keeping with their tradition of the last several nights, they hadn't bothered setting up their tents first. They had been too tired lately to make it worth the effort, but luckily the day was pleasantly warm and the tents were unneeded. As the two relaxed, they prepared for what they assumed would be a long and restless wait; but they were wrong. No sooner had they closed their eyes than they began to drift off into the waiting embrace of sleep. They were even more tired and sore than they knew. The scarcity of food and water was taking a toll on them, and though neither had noticed, they had both begun to thin from the rationing. Even if they couldn't see it, their bodies knew and welcomed the rest greedily, feasting on it as if it were a five-star meal.
When they awoke, the deep amber of sunset had already faded to purple and was swiftly deepening into the inky blackness of night. The moon hung just above the horizon and its glow was growing brighter by the minute; it was the perfect time to head out. Lucky was moving to pick up the map, which had already begun to glow faintly, when Lore suddenly stopped him. "I think perhaps I should hold the map tonight. Just to be safe. You were starting to act a little funny yesterday."
As much as Lucky wished to, he couldn't deny it. Something strange had been going on yesterday, and if Lore holding the map kept it from happening again, then that was perfectly fine with him. "Be my guest, it's all yours."
"Good." Lore gathered up the map and looked it over as the glow steadily grew stronger. Once he was certain of the arrows orientation he set out, only to stop again a few steps away.
"What's the matter?" Lucky asked curiously, "Is it already acting up again?"
Shaking his head, Lore looked back at him as he pulled the length of rope from his packs with his magic. "I was just thinking what would happen if you started to wander again. I won't be in the back watching you this time. It would be easy for us to get separated in the dark. I think our best option would be to tie ourselves together, just in case."
Losing track of Lore and the map in the dark would be about as easy as losing a lighthouse Lucky thought. He wanted to roll his eyes at Lore's overly cautious suggestion, and normally he would have, but something deep inside was telling him this was a very good idea. Reluctantly he consented, and in a matter of moments the rope was secured. It was slightly uncomfortable, but not unbearable. None the less, Lucky frowned as he tested the knots, quietly grumbling to himself. "I feel ridiculous. Like a pet, or a foal on a leash."
The mental image that sentiment brought to mind was simply too funny for Lore to contain. He did his best to stifle his laughter, but it was a token gesture at most. "Quit your griping or we won't be stopping for ice cream on the way home." Lore said in a 'scolding mother' tone as he headed off into the night with a grumbling Lucky close behind.
Lore led the way throughout the night, his determination keeping his course steady and true. Whatever affliction had been influencing Lucky yesterday didn't appear to have any effect on Lore now. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Lucky. No less than a dozen times that night Lore had been brought up short by a sudden jerk as the rope drew taught between him and a wandering Lucky. By morning Lore had begun to deeply worry for his friend. Before he would begin to wander off, Lucky's mind would slip into a fog, and every time it happened it seemed to take longer to bring him back to his senses. The interval between these periods of disorientation had been getting shorter and shorter the farther they traveled. Lore began to fear it would become permanent if something wasn't done, but no matter what he tried there seemed to be nothing he could do to help Lucky. The only thing he could do for him now was keep him moving.
They finally stopped to rest as the first rays of dawn began to creep into the sky, but resting was all they could do. Their water was already gone, used in the night to force down some of the few dry trail cakes they had left. There was nothing between them and a slow death now but hope, and of that, little remained. They had found nothing in the night, and the map arrow had remained unchanged. Their current prospects were grim and they knew it, but dwelling on that fact would do them no good.
They rested for as long as they dared, but it wasn't enough; it was never enough. They were always tired now, not just from the endless walking, but from a lack of water as well. Headaches had become their constant companions, and Lore was no longer certain that Lucky's disorientation was entirely unnatural. Fatigue had been building up over their long trek, and while sleep had always removed most of it, some had always remained. Now with their water gone, it was getting worse at an alarming rate. If they rested too long, they may never find the strength or the will to get back up again. After a great deal of coaxing, Lore got a still disoriented Lucky to his hooves, and the two moved on into the endless sea of grass once more.
As night gave way to dawn's light, an almost imperceptible distortion in the flat line of the horizon caught Lore's attention. He had no idea what it was, but he felt his heart quicken as they moved closer. Whether it was real or just his imagination was uncertain, but he was ready to believe in just about anything if it kept them going. Though it was always a good idea to check, just to be certain. A quick look at the map told him he wasn't crazy, and with the confirmation of their magical guide, hope began to creep back into his heart. Lore pressed on through the tall grass with a renewed vigor. He refused to be stopped now, and not even the occasional jerking of the rope slowed him. He would drag Lucky if he had to, but by Luna's glorious moon they would make it!
Nearly two hours later the 'distortion' had grown into what was now clearly the tree line of some great forest. Though they had traveled a good distance already, the base of the trees still remained hidden behind the horizon. Only the leafy crowns were visible to them, but for Lore, it was more than he had dared to hope for. Such a large forest had to have some source of water nearby, he was sure of it. He felt suddenly lighter with that knowledge, as if a great burden had been lifted from him. Their salvation was literally within sight now; all they had to do was reach it.
As Lore galloped toward the trees, the rope tying him to Lucky snapped taut, jerking him back so suddenly that he was sent sprawling onto his back. He clutched his middle and groaned as he got slowly back to his hooves. This prank wasn't amusing in the slightest and he had a few choice words for his teal companion, but the rebuke quickly died on his lips when he saw his face. He hadn't looked back to check on Lucky since they had last stopped, and the change in his friend was startling.
Lucky sat on the ground a short distance away, motionless and unblinking. "... Lucky?" Lore said hesitantly, "Are you alright?" Lucky remained silent, but as Lore drew closer, he could see that Lucky was anything but alright. His coat had taken on a pale and sickly air, and his eyes were glazed and unfocused as he stared vacantly out at nothing. Lore reached out a concerned hoof and touched him on the arm, "Lucky?" His head turned ever so slightly toward Lore at the sound of his name, but his eyes remained vacant. The gesture seemed more like a reflex, as if he knew the word should mean something, but couldn't remember what. Guilt and pain stabbed Lore's heart to see his friend reduced to such a state, but it only served to strengthen his resolve to do whatever he must to save them.
Lore moved in front of him and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "Lucky, we need to keep moving. We can't stay here." He said gently, as if he was talking to a confused foal.
Lucky's head shifted again at the sound of his name, his eyes moving to stare through Lore as his cracked lips parted "So, tired." He croaked in a daze.
"I know buddy, I know. I am too, but we're almost there." He pat Lucky's shoulder as he pointed toward the distant tree line. "You see? All we have to do is get to those trees. Then you can rest as much as you want."
Lucky looked off toward the trees for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "I... I'm not... I don't see anything."
This brought Lore up short. He hadn't thought Lucky's vision was deteriorating, just his lucidity. Cautiously Lore asked, "Can you still see me?"
"Yes."
"But you can't see those trees on the horizon?" Lore asked as he pointed to them again.
Lucky stared at the trees for a long moment before slowly shaking his head again. "No. Just the horizon... and green... no, just the grass." He paused before asking hesitantly, "Is that. Where we are going?"
"That's where the map is pointing," Lore said, relieved that at least Lucky wasn't going blind.
"Map?... yes, pointing... but no. I... I don't think... no, we shouldn't go that way... not that way." Lucky said, his speech becoming more distant and disjointed.
"What do you mean not that way? There's nowhere else to go!" Lore said perplexed.
Lucky just nodded slowly however, "Go... yes... need to go... but, but not that way."
This was getting them nowhere fast. It was becoming obvious to Lore that his friend's grip on sanity was becoming tenuous at best; not that he had ever been entirely certain Lucky had ever had a substantial hold on it in the first place, but it had never been this bad. If he was going to get him moving again, he needed to try something more subtle. Holding Lucky's head steady, Lore looked him straight in the eye and said, "Lucky, you have to fight this. I need you to focus. Tell me, do you trust me?"
"What? Do I... fight?... But Lore is... no, have to... focus..." Confusion and pain mixed across Lucky's face as whatever was left of him fought some inner battle for control. "Lore... Lore, is my... my friend... I... yes... I trust him."
"That's right Lucky, I am your friend. And because I'm your friend, you know I just want to help you right?" Lore said in a gentle coaxing voice. "I wouldn't take you anywhere bad right?"
Lucky paused a moment before slowly nodding his head.
"Good. If you don't want to go that way, then you don't have to. So I'll tell you what we're going to do instead," Lore cooed as he coaxed Lucky to his hooves. "We're going to play a little game."
The shadow of a smile touched Lucky's face as if recalling some vague memory, "I think... I... yes... I like games."
Lore nodded and gave Lucky's shoulder a little pat, "I know you do, and I know you'll like this one. It's nice and simple. I know you'll be really good at it. All you have to do is follow me, alright? Do you think you can do that?" When Lucky didn't answer right away Lore began to think that perhaps he had caught on to the ruse; but after what seemed like an endless wait, Lucky slowly nodded his head. Lore let out a sigh of relief. At least the hard part was over, or so he hoped.
The next several hours passed in a very similar fashion. Lore had to coax and cajole nearly every step out of Lucky. He constantly showered the disoriented stallion with praise and reassurance to keep his focus on their 'game' and away from their destination lest he become immovable again. It was hard going to be sure, and their progress left much to be desired, but at least they were moving.
Though the distant trees had grown larger with every step the pair took, they still could not see their base. It was a true testament to their size, and on the occasions that Lore looked back to check their course, he would find himself staring in open-mouthed amazement at the forest. The trees already towered high above them, and from what he could see, Lore guessed that most of them had to be 75 or 80 feet tall at least. The sight of this massive ancient forest set against the utterly featureless landscape was truly staggering. If their situation were less dire, Lore would have stopped to appreciate the scene more, but he had to keep Lucky moving.
To Lore's relief, it wasn't long until the base of the trees finally came into view. Despite his growing exhaustion, his hooves felt lighter than ever upon seeing those mighty trunks meet the ground. He guessed they had about another hour and a half of walking ahead of them before they would finally reach the tree line. Glancing back at the now visibly swaying Lucky, he only hoped that his friend would be able to hold on long enough. Lore had just begun to coax Lucky forward again when the gentle words froze on his lips.
The light around them suddenly dimmed, and a chill ran up Lore's spine. Obeying his first instinct, he looked up expecting to see some sort of obstruction, but the sky was as cloudless and clear now as it had been every day of their journey. Turning around, his eyes followed the dimming light to a point somewhere beyond the tree line on the west side of the forest. He couldn't see what exactly was causing the strange phenomenon, but the light seemed to grow steadily dimmer in that direction, as if something were pulling it in.
Lore's eyes went wide as a great rending sound reached his ears a second later with all the deep, resonant force of rolling thunder. The distant sound seamlessly transformed into a sucking, hollow roar that sent Lore to his knees as it sparked some sort of primal fear deep inside him. He trembled and clutched at himself as he tried desperately to comprehend what could possibly make such a sound. His unnerved mind conjured up images of massive, ghastly horrors; their dripping jaws opened wide to reveal nothing but an endless black pit trying to suck him in, the sound pulling and tugging at him as if it were a physical thing. But despite all of this, nothing moved.
The air remained perfectly still. The sea of tall grass was motionless, unbending. Not a single leaf on the forest trees stirred. Yet the land and forest both seemed to somehow shudder. Somewhere behind Lore, the swaying Lucky stood forgotten. With nothing else to distract him, his attention moved to the looming forest ahead of them. Lucky's pupils shrank to pin-pricks and he let out a desperate, terrified scream "No! NOOO!" His eyes spun wildly as he screamed again, raving and shaking his head as he staggered back "No! Not that way! Not to the bad place! No! Won't go that way! Not that waaay!" And with that final cry, Lucky turned and fled.