Moonlight glimmered off the sharp rock faces. Flecks of light stabbed down, illuminating their jagged edges. Anise trembled. Their last attempt to please Lunaris had not gone well. This time, the team had worked hard to create a new, more worthy offering. It dangled in its packaging from Trainesh’s jaws. Swinging with every step the fluffy stalker took.  Anise glanced anxiously at Yiek, who was striding ahead in the lead. Yiek was trying to appear confident. And just as clearly trembling. Behind him was the reluctant shuffling of the two imperial stalkers. Rag seemed to almost be trying to climb on top of an extra poofy and annoyed Trainesh. Eventually, Rag’s attempts caused Trainesh to snap. 

“Stop that!” Trainesh snarled, teeth clacking shut. The carefully wrapped gift that she was carrying almost fell from her mouth. Rag leaped back as though stung, a surprised squeak escaping from her. Anise flinched at the noise. Certain it would bring the wrath of the already pissed of Lunaris upon them. Yiek turned, eyes flashing in anger, and was clearly about to speak his mind when he was interrupted. 

“I see that you are back. I hope that your offering is an improvement”. The voice was as soft and soothing, and held the menace of a black velvet pillow suffocating a victim in the night.  The entire party stopped dead in their tracks as one of the rocks shifted. Revealing none other than Lunaris herself. The great elder slithered almost like a ghost across the ground. Constellations shimmering on her hide. 

Yiek froze in his tracks. He was clearly trying to look up as brave as possible, but his twitching tail and trembling legs betrayed him. Anise found himself subconsciously shrinking into the shadows out of sight, and had to force himself to stand his ground. It took every scrap of will that he could find to do so. Behind him, there was a squawking noise, the sound of scrabbling claws on rock, a frantic flapping noise and what sounded like two bodies colliding. He desperately wanted to look behind him and check on Rag and Trainesh. But he didn’t dare look away from Lunaris, whose unreadable expression had not changed at all. Yiek was either braver, willing to let the great elder out of his sight for a moment, or had less self control. He dared a glance backwards. And Anise’s heart fell as he watched Yiek’s face somehow turn from dark vanta, to pale as death. Rag and Trainesh had gone. 

Trainesh shuffled, striving to stay on balance as Rag tried to hide underneath her. The two stalkers had panicked and scrambled away when the second Lunaris had appeared. They still had nightmares of Lunaris' displeasure at their last gift.  Rag was whimpering next to her, still trying to climb under her wing without making any sound. The jostling almost caused her to drop the gift. She cursed, why had she been the one chosen to carry it? 

"Have you returned with NOTHING?" the eerie voice echoed disturbingly over the sharp rocks. Rag pulled away as though slapped. And Trainesh cowered down, straining to hear what was going on.

"Oh great and wise and beautiful Lunaris, I swear that we have brought you the best gift that we could possibly think of!". Yieks voice quavered. 

"And where is this gift? I see that you are empty clawed". 

There was the noise of claws on rocks, and Yiek let out a little "off" noise. Anise must have headbutted him. "Uhm..... it's with our companions. Who seem to have gotten... a little sidetracked" Yiek faltered. A high whining from Anise accompanied his words. 

"You dare come into my presence, after such great insults last time and bring nothing? You disrespect me. You disrespect this entire celebration. " said Lunaris. Her words hissed out. Dark fury spilling from her maw.    

Trainesh looked down her snout at the gift dangling there. The entire team had worked to create it. It was a beautiful necklace of sunstones and moonstones. Yiek had come up with the idea. And they had all found the stones and strung them together. And Anise had used his enchantment magic to bind them, and make them sparkle and shine. Rag was currently staring at the gift, her momentary fear forgotten. 

"You will suffer for this" echoed Lunaris' voice. Trainesh heard Anise squeak, and Yiek's sharp intake of breath. And she knew that she had to do something. She gathered her courage, kicked the trembling Rag to force her out of hiding, and bravely stepped towards her death. 

Anise couldn't disguise the sigh of relief he felt when Trainesh, followed by a reluctant Rag, stepped out of the shadows. The jewelled necklace glimmering between her teeth. 

"As you can see m'am" came Yieks's shakey voice. "your gift is right here".