[The trap was thoroughly smashed. The panther must have climbed out of the trap somehow. But Franklin breathed out, the trail of blood it had left behind was noticeable. Wounded it can't have gotten far and lacking its strength from such bloodloss it might even be easy to deal with if he saw it face to face. But the direction it went was strange, higher up, higher and higher, deeper into the mountain...]
Liberty turned to the
White Swallow.
"Oh, where I acquired this idea? I grew up well off, but spend summers at my grandparent's in the countryside, there was always this legend. About an evil white witch who lived in the faraway mountains. And on special nights," her voice went low, "she'd fly down them and at night go to. Every. House. In the world," talking slowly, she had a grin on her face, "and the moment she saw a child who hadn't brushed their teeth, folded their clothes, and left no sprig of birch on the windowsill," she motioned with her hands wildly, "she'd grab the child right up! And take them away to her mountains!"
[...he hurried, whatever had done that panther in must have been twice its size. Franklin wasn't prepared to deal with something like that, he had to find a spot where he could safely hide. A crevice? Just barely big enough for him, but surely not big enough for the thing that left the giant bite mark on its body. It might not be the best, but it will do for now...]
Liberty adjusted her glasses after that wild movement, "Now do we know what happens to the children that are taken? Well, there is this one story of a child name Pepnik. The witch had taken him, and but she'd also taken some other children. She had put them all to work, except for on that she feasted on that night, and once morning came she went to sleep."
[...That fall had definitely broken his leg. Franklin stared at his lamp, just on the edge of the cliff he fell from. Was this how the panther had felt when it fell into his trap? Breaking a leg, being stuck there, until it was picked up by an even greater beast? He wouldn't be able to climb back up to get his lamp. And this cavern was dark, slippery, but at least the light was still burning, so far away, but close enough for him to treat his leg wound...]
"Now, Pepnik, was a smartass. He had seen what kind of spell the witch put on the door out of her hut in the big book. He just needed the days to sneak away all the ingredients to undo it," Libby closed her eyes and put her fingers to her chin, "he had some excuses every night as to why it shouldn't be his turn to get eaten, but I don't remember what they were," she quickly clapped, "Point is! He managed to be the last child. And once morning came and the witch was fast asleep, he took all the ingredients he had hidden from the soot basket and started preparing the spell, but, because he didn't remove all of the ash that was on them, the spell went wrong..."
[...the lamp had burned out who knows how long ago, but something was strange. Franklin's leg after his recent sleep had stopped hurting. And some blue glow was on it. Like drops, leading a way for him. He stood up after what felt like a long while. Closely he followed the faint blue glow, somehow never slipping or missing a step. Sooner or later he had found himself in front of a weird formation illuminated in blue moss. He rubbed it off, this wasn't a simple cave wall, this was carved stone. Intricate and not shallow at all. He rubbed off more of the moss, what he was standing in front, was an entrance...]
"He had been teleported to an entrance. Ancient and mighty, of a kingdom long gone, banished to the underground. His adventures and way out of it was what inspired the underground city," she leaned back stretching her hands, "of course Pepnik does not exist and is just a folk legend," she then picked up the nearby cat and put it on her lap victoriously, "But! I had a friend who thought he could do well in the mountains! He ended up stuck in a cave not even that far from the opening for a week with a broken leg!" somehow the cat was content, purring steadily at her patting, "He ended up eating some mushrooms he shouldn't have and well, my talk with him inspired me enough to write this story."
