Chapter Text
The air was dark and cold and wrong.
R.K. felt something rumble underneath his feet. An earthquake? No, the Maw was a boat. A wave, maybe? Or maybe they were being attacked by a sea monster, like a squid or- No. Definitely waves. They wondered if the Maw could capsize. Hopefully not. At least, not until they escaped. Then he’d like to watch it happen.
R.K. stopped short. The already cold air got even colder. A draft from outside? No. No, that doesn’t feel right. The air was still, not breezy or gusty in the slightest. It’s as though the air just… changed inexplicably. He shone his flashlight along the walls, revealing dusty old bookshelves and rotting portraits. No windows or cracks to the outside at all. Strange. They assumed the Lady’s quarters would have some outside light.
He heard something. No, wait, someone. Crying. Did the Lady have prisoners up here? He peeked his head around a corner. Nothing. Good. He stared ahead. Even with the flashlight, they struggled to see anything. He passed several rooms full of mannequins and broken mirrors. Lovely. They carefully step over broken glass, the last thing he needs is a cut in their foot.
The crying got louder, or maybe he just got closer to its source. R.K rounded another corner and stopped in their tracks.
The Lady.
She hadn’t seen him. Her back was turned. Ugly sobs wracked her body. Oh. That’s where the crying was coming from? R.K. hadn’t realized adults could cry. They peered around the corner. His curiosity got the better of him. What could the almighty Lady of the Maw possibly be sad about?
Oh. Oh.
The Lady had been looking at her reflection through a broken mirror. Even through the distortion caused by the cracks, R.K could clearly see her face. She was hideous. No more so than other adults, but still. Her face showed signs of age, wrinkled saggy skin hung loosely off of her face.
“She looks a lot like the Granny.” R.K thinks. Is she supposed to look like that, or did something happen to her? Is that why she wears the mask? Yikes. If he looked like that, he’d cry too. Speaking of… She seemed awfully busy doing just that. R.K could probably sneak around her as long as she’s distracted.
R.K. took a single step, and felt the floor shake. His balance was thrown off as they stumbled to the ground with a thud. The Lady whipped her head around and screamed. The piercing sound made the already cracked mirror shatter. A million shards of glass fell to the floor.
R.K. took off. Adrenaline shot through his veins as they ran. Cursing his rotten luck, R.K. made sharp turns, hoping to throw the Lady off his trail as she gave chase. He risked a look behind. She was right there. It seemed as though she was floating, and she probably was. R.K. took another abrupt turn and-
A dead end.
No no nononononon-
R.K. felt themselves get lifted off of the ground. Not by a hand, he was simply floating. They couldn’t move. A strange dark mist surrounded him as the Lady got closer. No. No please, not like this! They were so close. He was face-to-face with the Lady now. She was wearing her mask again. Despite that, R.K. could tell she was furious.
R.K. felt…something…happen. Pain blossomed in his bones as he felt them twist. They screamed, tears pricking their eyes. He heard the Maw rumble as it shook again, more violently than before. The Lady yelled in surprise, slightly losing her balance. The pain suddenly became unbearable, and R.K. felt like his limbs were about to rip themselves off. They couldn’t breathe, they couldn’t breathe. His jaw popped, and through the pain they wondered if it was broken. His feet abruptly reconnected with the floor, feeling a little numb. He slid, but they didn’t fall over. The Lady dropped him.
The Lady dropped them.
In a blind panic, R.K. ran. Lucky. Lucky lucky lucky. “Maybe there is a god.” He thought. Or maybe not. Probably not, actually- They knocked something over. He didn’t bother to check what it was. Probably bottles or a vase or something. They couldn’t tell if the Lady was giving chase again. He hoped with all of his soul that she wasn’t. He didn’t bother trying to be quiet. Their footsteps pounding against the floor louder than usual. Almost… clicking, actually. That’s odd, why is it-
The elevator! He almost passed it, just barely able to slide into it in time. The elevator door closed, and they almost passed out with relief. Oh, he wanted to throw up that was way too close-
Why was the elevator so small?
R.K. had to duck their head to avoid hitting the ceiling. Was he just seeing things? They straightened their back and-OW His back! Ooh, his back! Owowowow. Wait. Their back felt… bent? Oh god, was his back broken?!? Oh no that would be horrible- Why does their neck feel heavy? He reached around his neck. They felt something solid and heavy. A chain, just like the one around their ankle. Great. Just great. Maybe they could get it off? He reached around, but his claws didn’t feel any sort of latch or lock.
Wait.
Their what???
His hands. Oh god, his hands! What happened to his hands?!?! His fingers, (If you could even call them that anymore) ended in long, hooked bone white claws. Scratch that- it was bone. Exposed finger bones, as if the skin at the tips of their fingers had been removed. Panic clawed up his throat and they hissed. He hissed. He. Hissed. They covered their mouth. Okay. Okay, okay. He felt around his aching jaw. Something was wrong with it. He opened his mouth, and his lower jaw split apart ohgoditwasbroken.
Something slick and wet poured out of his mouth and at first, they thought it was blood. He wiped it away, but the slime was clear and gooey. Ew. Well, at least they aren't bleeding. He felt his teeth with his tongue. They were sharp and serrated, and R.K was worried they might the inside of their mouth.
The elevator door opened. The aroma of food wafted through the air, and R.K felt his stomach growl. This must be the dining area… R.K realized they had no idea where to go next. He stepped out of the elevator and slipped on the hardwood floor. Their hooves left deep cuts in the wood.
Oh. He had hooves.
…
HE HAD HOOVES?????????? WHENWHATWHYHOW- Oh god how is he going to walk? They can’t- They can’t feel the floor. It felt like he had rocks for feet. His hooves, like his claws, looked like they were made out of bone. It was like they were walking on stilts. He was thankful that nobody was around to witness them walking, or, well, trying to. Not only were their feet not feet anymore, but he was also 10x taller than he used to be. The swaying and shaking of the Maw did absolutely nothing to help.
He stumbled after the Maw shook particularly violently. They yelped, just barely staying on their feet/hooves. He… He needed a mirror. (He hoped they weren’t all in the Lady’s quarters. They are not going back up there.)
They heard a chittering noise. A very, very familiar chittering noise. Nomes? He looked around. Where…? A blur of white shot past him and into the next room. “Wait!” He tried to call out. The terrifying rumble that came out of his mouth sounded anything but friendly. Yeah, they would run if they heard that, too… Maybe he should try to be quiet.
The next room was nigh identical to the first, save for a table absolutely covered with food. Pies, meat, fish, soup, and bottles of various alcohol were all set on the table in seemingly random places, sometimes stacked on top of one another. A Nome skittered up a tablecloth hanging over the side. Dozens more Nomes were on the table, wedged in between food and behind bottles. It seemed they had been helping themselves to the free food.
He let out a soft “Mrrrr?” He wondered if any of the Nomes recognized him. Most flinched and hid at the sight of him, but none of them ran. He sat on the floor, so their head was just above the table. He held a claw out. I'm friendly! I promise! He wondered if any of the Nomes recognized him from the hideaway. Could these be the same Nomes? One Nome cautiously approached. Its head swayed from side to side, as if it were examining him. Without warning, it let out a sharp chirp. It leapt into his hand. It did recognize them! R.K let out a happy rumble as more and more Nomes leapt on them, they must be the same ones from the hideaway! Oh, he was so happy to see them again!
The sound of a sliding door made R.K freeze. An adult? They turned. The door was open just a crack. He tensed. Maybe if they stayed completely still, it would go away. A moment passed. Nothing happened.
And then a small yellow figure stumbled through the door.