The Abyssal Plain

<div align='left'>Blue stood before the door to the king’s chambers and sighed. He had left Green and Shadow far behind when they had decided to tell the king about Neko’s disappearance. He looked down the corridor, his arms crossed, and watched for either Green or Shadow to come into view. As the minutes began to drag on, his foot tapped the ground in anticipation. He turned towards the door and began to turn the knob when he heard one of the others shout.

“Wait! Wait for us!” Shadow called, quickening his pace from a jog to an all-out run. Green watched as Shadow ran off, then, after taking a small breather, he ran to Blue as well. Shadow was at the door several seconds ahead of Green, but both were extremely exhausted.

“You guys seriously need to get into better shape,” Blue stated, his voice full of pity.

“Oh…shut up,” Green said from his bent over position, “It’s not like we run a mile every day.” He looked up at Blue and smirked.

Blue glared at Green, turned back towards the door, and opened it. All three of the boys barged into the room and began to shout of the dead guards, Neko’s sudden disappearance, and the like.

Taelyn Maris, who had already been awake, glared at the boys. “Shut up!” he shouted, throwing a book at Green in the process, “I can’t understand you when you all shout at once!” He stood up from his cross-legged position on his bed and looked down at them, “Now, what’s this all about?” he raised an eyebrow.

Shadow looked at the others, they nodded. “Well, you see my lord, Neko-San has escaped. She also killed the guards that were posted outside her room…” He paused and took Neko’s scarf from Green, “But she left without this, something she would never not have.” He bowed as he awaited what Taelyn would say.

Taelyn rubbed his temples and muttered curse words under his breath. He looked down at the three boys, “Rouse everyone else, we must hold some sort of meeting to discuss this ill turn of events.”

“Yes, my lord,” Shadow said as he bowed. The other boys bowed as well, then they all ran to awaken the others.

***

Shadow barged into the soldiers barracks and ran to Vio, Red, and Elvyre, shaking each on in turn. Vio and Red sprang to their feet, accustomed to such rude awakenings, but Elvyre still lay in bed. Shadow growled and went to wake her up a little less politely, but Red shook his head. Shadow sighed and stopped, letting Red do the waking.

Red smirked and whispered an archaic word, instantly a small flame appeared just above his hand. Walking over to Elvyre he whispered softly to the fire, causing it to grow larger. He stopped at Elvyre’s bunk and touched the fire to her arm which was outside the covers. The fire was a magical type which burned only what you wished it to, in this case Elvyre.

Elvyre leaped from her bunk, swearing a blue streak, and threw a punch at Red. Red dodged her fist with ease and she swore. Looking past him she noticed Shadow and Vio. Focusing her gaze on Shadow, she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

Shadow mouthed the words, “The King demands we go to his chambers at once.” Elvyre nodded quickly and shook her head to remove any vestiges of sleep that still clung to her brain.

***

Green ran up to the main doors of the Temple of the Gods and stopped. He opened the doors quietly and walked in, he couldn’t run inside a holy building without bringing misfortune upon himself.

First he went to the section devoted to the Golden Goddesses and talked to Din’s head priestess. He asked her to get Yari for him, and he told her that she was needed for urgent business at the castle. The priestess bowed and walked down a corridor, leaving Green to wait in the worship room.

While he waited for Yari, Green walked to the statue of his patron goddess, Farore the Goddess of Courage. He bowed his head before the emerald statue and said a quick prayer. Then he looked through his pockets and placed a golden feather on the plate before the statue as an offering. He bowed once more. He heard footsteps coming from the corridor and quickly turned to face it.

Yari and the priestess ran and stopped in front of Green. Since the were both people that worked directly with the Gods they could run in the temple, so no ill-luck would befall them. Yari turned to the head priestess and bowed then went to the main doors, content to wait until Green was finished with his errand.

Next, Green walked to the section of the temple devoted to the Silver Gods and walked up to an obsidian statue of Zenia the Goddess of Victory. He walked around it, but didn’t find Zen. He sighed and walked to the statue of another of his patrons, Drayjin the God of War. When he didn’t find her there he ground his teeth and walked to the final statue remaining, the statue of Majoran the God of Loss. There he found Zen, happily chattering with a carrion crow, Majoran’s sacred animal. As he walked towards her he heard snippets of her conversation; something about, “Those stupid harpies,” and, “How’s that supposed to help the crow die-out problem?”. Once he heard these he began to wish he hadn’t listened in.

As Green approached her, Zenia whirled around and smiled at him. Then, as Green told her of why he came, her smile began to become a severe frown. She nodded when Green ended his tale ad together they walked to the main doors. At the doors they met with Yari and as one they walked out the doors, then ran for the castle once outside.

***

Blue ran down the hallways of the castle and sighed, he had already woken Ganondorf, Neya, and Telphinia. Now he had to awaken Rio, Mohan, and Kari. Thankfully, unlike the first people he awoke, they were all sharing a room.

As he came up even with the door it opened, almost hitting him in the face. Mohan, Rio, and Kari-her hooded cloak pulled over her face-stood in the doorway. Blue looked at them inquisitively.

Mohan looked down at him and said, “I heard your thoughts and woke up these two. Let’s get to the King as quickly as possible!”

Blue looked at her for several seconds, amazed that she could hear thoughts, then nodded. Together the three of them ran to the king’s chambers.

***

Once everyone was accounted for and in his chambers, Taelyn Maris stood up and addressed the matter. “Everyone,” he began, his eyes scanning the small crowd, “I’ve called you here to discuss the issue of Neko’s escape.”</div>

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