"Hostages!" is a Season 4 thread written on March 8, 2015.
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Grey Bergman: "I swear on Hel, herself," Grey said as she pulled herself up onto the stony walls of the deep pit Loki put them in not too long ago, "when I get my hands on that no…good..trickster…oho…I will rip him to shred—AHHHH!"
Unfortunately, she lost her grip on the wall and fell back down to where the others waited. Thankfully, she didn’t make it that far up so the fall was quick and harmless…other than the few bruises that were probably on her back now…
Bree Ostberg: Bree heard Grey’s scream and ran to her side. She seemed fine, thank god, but Bree helped her up none the less. When they were both on their feet, she spoke.
"I was expecting a bit warmer of a welcome, coming back to be honest." She looked up towards the empty sky above." Don’t fret yet though, someone’s bound to notice. The King will arrive sooner or later."
Sveid Jora Maer: Svie∂ began shaking, her own mind working against her in this sudden change of scenery. She sat against the wall breathing deeply, attempting to stop the barrage of mile a minute thoughts.
"No..no no no.." she curled up in a ball.
"Svie∂, are you?" Kira asked
"No.."
"We’ll get out of here Svie∂."
"Aye, I’m not scared of this, god" Cairbre stated.
"He can’t physically harm us, so…" Kira glanced toward her sister, "Svied?"
Svied held her chest as phantom pains returned, turning into a full blown panic attack.
Vox Arnason: Vox had been pacing the length of the pit, however long it wasn’t, content with being angry at himself and infuriated at the God that placed them there.
He pushed his hair back, only to see Svied curled up and panicking. Her features were pale and visibly trembling. Vox approached her with caution, taking to one knee and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, breathe deep. In through your nose, out through your mouth… slower…"
He stayed by her side, knowing that his previous plan of wandering a couple feet in any given direction wasn’t going to help the situation.
"I learned some things while in Purgatory. This breathing will regulate your heartbeat, I promise."
Sveid Jora Maer: Svied looked up from her position against the wall, obeying Vox’s advice. Her panicked self began to calm.
"Thanks."
Vox Arnason: "It’s no problem, Svied."
He rubbed her arm, giving her a reassuring glance before returning to his feet. Turning to face Grey, his speech was kept low.
"Hey, Grey. I don’t know if you have any semblance of a plan, but if you do, I’d love to hear it."
Grey Bergman: Grey sighed in defeat. That was all she had been doing ever since Loki dropped them in this pit, but any idea proved to be useless. She couldn’t believe it! She was the second-in-command and had no problem strategizing for war, but now that they were trapped in a stupid pit, she couldn’t come up with anything. These people were looking to her, and she was useless.
"I’m trying, Vox," she said in a low whisper, "but I don’t know what we can do. I mean I’m sure Haddock will notice his second-in-command and Chief War Strategist are both gone with a few other rebels, but we can’t afford to wait that long. We need some other way to get out." She started thinking and stroking her chin thoughtfully. She finally had an idea. "You know…if we can get a dragon down here, we could ride it up to the top. Perhaps…a whispering death."
Vox Arnason: "A dragon…that’s not a bad idea."
Vox tapped his foot against the ground, pondering an execution for the suggestion.
"Grey, do you have any means of contacting a dragon to get us out of here?"
Grey Bergman: "You bet I do," she said confidently. "Bree has lived among dragons for a good part of her life! Maybe she knows to contact one."
Vox Arnason: "Good to hear. I will let you take the reigns on this one, as the two of you are more than capable of handling it."
He leaned against the wall of the pit, head facing upward and eyes shut.
"I’ll formulate something for once we’re out of here. Loki isn’t going to let us free without a fight, and it’s Gods against mortals."
Grey Bergman: "Great," she said nodding to Vox. Then she turned to Bree and ran over to her. "Hey, Bree, I have a favor to ask you!"
Bree Ostberg: She spun around at Grey’s voice. She seemed hopeful, unlike many of the others.
"What do you require?"
Grey Bergman: "Listen, I know you’ve been living with dragons for almost your whole life," Grey said taking her hands in hers. "So, I was wondering if you by any chance would know how to call a dragon. If we get a dragon down here, it can probably take us to the top!"
Bree Ostberg: Bree’s eyes sparked at the idea, and she nodded. “All I would need to know is what type of dragons would be around. What the terrain above looks like, so I can judge by that.”
Grey Bergman: Grey looked around the pit hoping for some sign of what terrain they were. “Hmmm…” she said examining the rock walls. “We must be in some mountain…or rocky terrain. Loki is crafty as he is crazy. He definitely put us somewhere where there is no civilization. Any ideas?”
Bree Ostberg: Bree immediately began to search the pit for rocks. Big rocks that when thrown against the walls of the pit, could make an echoing sound.
Close to where many of the others were standing or sitting around, she picked up one that may work. It was roughly half a foot in both length and width, though surprisingly easy to lift.
She turned to Grey, “If we make enough noise, and I am correct as to what may be near, they will fly to check out the sounds, and we can lure them down to help.” She paused, thinking. “On the other hand, if they are scared rather than intrigued, we’ll see them fly and know what we have to deal with.”
Grey Bergman: Grey nodded as she untied her sword sheath from her waist ready to beat it against the walls. “It’s risky,” she said, “but we have to try something at this point. There’s no way I’m letting us stay here in this pit.”
She then turned to the other rebels. “Listen up, guys,” she said in an authoritative tone. Bree and I might have a solution on how to get out of here. We’re going to make as much noise as we can to lure a dragon down here. Hopefully, if one comes, we can get out of here and fly back to camp to kick Loki’s butt. So, grab whatever you can…rocks…weapons…something that can make enough noise, and scream as loud as you can. I’m not entirely sure how far down we are.”
Greg Ericson: Greg got up from his seated position on the floor and pulled the scabbard off his belt, sword still in place he then began to beat it against the stone wall.
Sveid Jora Maer: The noise around her bothered her. “Breathe,” she told herself,”breathe.” She attempted to zone out the sound, even though it was necessary to get out of this dark, rocky prison.
She held her head in her arms in an effort to drown out the banging against hard rock that her fellow rebels were doing.
Treepelt Halfpaw: Treepelt’s ears twitched in irritation but she tried to make as much noise as possible along with the other rebels. She threw marble-sized pebbles in handfuls at the wall, creating a ringing clacking and clattering alongside the clashing of metal.
Vox Arnason" Vox picked up handfuls of rocks and debris from the floor of the pit, directing them towards anything that would resonate loud enough. He looked up to see his partner in distress. The noise was visibly daunting her.
“Hey, you alright, Tree?”
Treepelt Halfpaw: “I’m fine,” she muttered, her breathing beginning to quicken. She looked upwards at the dim light filtering down to the bottom of the hole, and then around at the stone walls—or were they walls, they seemed to become cells, rows and rows of stone cells, just like they were trapped again, back in the dungeon and she was…no…no…she was fine…they were going to be fine…
Without realizing it, her knees had begun to fold and she started sinking to the ground, loose fingers dropping the remaining rocks across the ground.
Vox Arnason: Vox watched as Tree’s eyes dilated, her breathing becoming labored, and stance became weak. He barely made it in front of her as she buckled to the ground. He caressed her in his arms, cradling her head against his chest.
“Tree, please talk to me. Are y-you okay?”
He pushed to maintain his composure, sensing that she was not mentally able to hold herself together. She had a similar pale complexion to that of Svied earlier in the pit.
“It’s okay, Tree. I’m right here, please listen to me. I’m right here.”
Treepelt Halfpaw: Vox’s words faded in and out, muffled and clear, a friendly voice and then a threatening one. She shut her eyes tightly, clenching her teeth.
“Have to keep them safe,” she mumbled, eyes flickering beneath her eyelids. “Have to…have to keep them…locked up…” Shivering, she stared blankly ahead, pupils quivering back and forth between dilated and thin. Her claws flexed in and out of her fingertips.
Vox Arnason: “Tree, you’re scaring me. Please… please listen.”
He held her closer, allowing his heart to rest against her ear. Her shaking was becoming violent, and he had no idea what he was doing.
“You need to hear me. It’s me, Vox. We’re okay, we’re okay… I love you, okay? Please just breathe.”
Treepelt Halfpaw: Thadump. Thadump. Thadump.
The rushing of his blood, the pounding of the rocks, it was too much, make it stop, I’m cold, she could feel the ice, the manacles around her wrists as Haddock’s voice boomed around her…
“You’re so close, Tree…” she gasped, eyes wide. “Y-you came back…Vox, you…just break out…yes…that’s it…why am I all t-tied up…don’t ever…forget…”
Her right hand started to tremble.
Vox Arnason: He knew.
Those words, like freshly opened wounds… there was no mistaking it.
“Tree, please!”
He pulled her head up to meet his eyes, tears staining both of their features. He held her with more strength that he had ever had, intent on making sure she would make it out of this.
“That’s over now, Tree! Y-you have to listen! You’re free now, the Warden is gone! She’s gone, Tree, and you don’t have to worry anymore.”
He steadied her right hand, having watched it hover in a nostalgic fashion. He interlaced his fingers with hers, feeling her claws embed his skin and recede in a fluid motion.
“I’m here, Tree. I love you so much, p- please just calm down.”
Treepelt Halfpaw: “I’m g…I’m going to…”
She looked up at him feverishly, pupils slitted until they were nearly invisible. Her breathing was ragged and unsteady; her chest heaved up and down. She could see someone but it was as though he was down a tunnel tinged with red, shaking and blurry. “I’m…going…to miss…”
Her fingers tightened like hooks around his, and for a moment, she froze, mouth open slightly.
"I’m here, Tree…I love you so much…"
That’s not what happened…
Tree blinked and her fingers relaxed, her shoulders slumped and she twitched her ears, re-focusing on Vox. Why am I…oh, no.
With a slight hiccup, she started crying, pressing her forehead into his shoulder. “Vox…I’m s-so sorry…I just…it all came back…”
Vox Arnason: “Oh Gods, Tree.”
He pulled her back into him, forgetting about where they were and who was around to witness this chaos. He kissed her head and wouldn’t release his embrace, for fear of losing her.
“It’s okay, I understand. Y-you scared me for a minute there. I am just so glad you’re alright, Tree.”
He took to his feet, pulling her up as well, albeit slowly and careful as to not let her fall. She was still shaking and pale.
“Please tell me this doesn’t happen often. I don’t want you keeping stuff like this from me… I can help, you know that.”
Treepelt Halfpaw: Tree shook her head slowly. “N-no, it…I thought it was over.” She shuddered, looking over their new prison. “Guess I was wrong,” she said with a weak smile. “Stupid Warden…"
Looking up at him blearily, still breathing hard, she said in a rush, "Vox, we…we need to get out of here before I…before that happens again….before someone…”