"It's some kind of stone tablet," Barchan observed with a curious expression.
"No way!" Boulder said sarcastically. "Obviously it is."
Barchan shot Boulder a nasty look.
Vireo took a few steps to the right and noticed something. He swept some leaves off the ground with a talon, and his eyes lit up. "Guys, theres another here!" Apex and Scoria walked up to him and followed his gaze. "And there's this green marker on it!"
"There's a purple one on this one," Barchan added.
"What are these?" Boulder asked. Obviously nobody knew. Some old marker from an old civilization probably. But it the inscriptions look old; like really old.
"Do you think we can dig them out?" Vireo asked.
"No clue," Apex murmured, walking between the two exposed stones. His golden scales glinted in the light, reflecting the intricate squiggles and faded symbols etched into the grey stone. He knelt, his powerful foreleg brushing away more dirt.
Scoria, circled the tablets, her tail twitching thoughtfully. "They have to have a purpose. Not just some random rocks." She glanced up at the thick canopy. "Why would they be buried here, so deep in the jungle?"
"Treasure!" Peyote burst out, his eyes wide. He started to dig at the dirt near the green-marked tablet, scattering loose leaves. "Maybe they lead to treasure! Like, really old, sparkly gold coins and jewels!"
Boulder snorted. "Or to a pile of old, rusty tools. Or a hole in the ground. You read too many stories, Peyote."
"But what if it is treasure?" Barchan said, joining Peyote, a glint of interest in his dark eyes. He kicked at some dirt, trying to loosen the stone. "It'd be way better than just looking at weird monkeys."
"Hey!" Vireo said, defending his preferred animals.
Apex raised a foreleg, stopping them. "Hold on. We don't just start digging. We don't know what these are. This isn't a treasure hunt, it's an exploration. And we just had a close call with a Scuttler." He looked around, his amber eyes scanning the foliage.
"He's right," Caliche said, her bronze scales shimmering as she shifted. "These could be warnings. Or traps. Anything. Maybe that's why this island has restricted access."
Vireo nodded, a shiver running through him despite the warm air. Caliche's words hit home. The island was known as a dangerous hunting ground. But maybe that wasn't the complete reason the island was restricted. Perhaps these tablets were part of why. It wasn't just the strange animals, but something else.
"For sure," Scoria mused, her coaly eyes narrowing as she looked at the markings again.
Apex stood up, his golden scales rippling. He surveyed the two visible tablets, then glanced towards the direction Barchan and Vireo had pointed, indicating more. "This is bigger than just a few unique creatures, then. If these tablets are connected to why this place is off-limits…" He trailed off.
Peyote's excitement dimmed a little and he cut in. "So, no treasure?" he asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Can we at least try to catch a Cloth Monkey or Scaled Monkey?"
Apex made a defeated sigh. "We have some time left, so I guess we can."
"Yes! Thank you, Apex! You won't regret it!" Peyote bounced on his claws, already looking at the canopy above.
Scoria gave Apex a look that clearly said are you serious?, but she didn't argue. Caliche simply maintained her alert posture, her violet eyes sweeping the surroundings. Boulder rumbled softly, and Barchan, though still wary, seemed to brighten at the thought of a less heavy objective.
"Alright then," Apex said, making a sweeping gesture with a wing. "Let's try to move towards an area with a denser canopy, look for fruit trees. That's usually where they'll be feeding."
They adjusted their path, leaving the mysterious, half-buried tablets behind for now. The climb continued, though less intensely. The jungle remained thick, and the air humid. Vireo found himself scanning the branches with renewed excitement.
"Keep your eyes peeled!" Peyote whispered, vibrating with excitement. "They're supposed to be super quick!"
Vireo squinted, trying to make out shapes in the tangled leaves and vines. Every shadow seemed to shift, but maybe it was just him. He thought back to the descriptions: Cloth Monkeys with their vibrant cloth around their body and fur on their head, Scaled Monkeys with their almost draconic sheen.
It wasn't long before Peyote let out a gasp. "There! Over there!" he hissed, pointing a trembling talon towards a particularly thick cluster of broad leafed trees.
Sitting at the base of a tree, was a Cloth Monkey. It was small, maybe a little taller than his forearm, and the cloth it was wearing was a dark green, probably to blend in with the foliage. It's face was pale, with a flat face. The fur on its head was a soft, earthy brown that flowed down it's back, It was meticulously picking at a large, speckled fruit with its small, dexterous paws.
The Cloth Monkey, previously absorbed in its fruit, suddenly froze. Its large, dark eyes, which had been focused on food, snapped up and widened. It saw them. A soft gasp, almost inaudible, escaped its small mouth. The half-eaten fruit dropped from its paws.
For a split second, creature and dragons stared at each other. Then, with a speed that surprised Vireo, the Cloth Monkey whirled around and bolted. It scrambled on its two hind legs, surprisingly agile for its small frame, disappearing into the undergrowth with a frantic rustling of leaves.
"It's running!" Peyote yelped, his excitement reaching a fever pitch, his frills quivering. "After it!" He launched himself forward, wings half-unfurled for balance as he bounded through the jungle, much faster than the small creature could ever hope to be.
"Peyote, wait! Don't just crash in there!" Apex called, a note of exasperation in his voice, but Peyote was already running.
The rest of them followed, though with a bit more measured pace. The "chase," if it could even be called that, was short. The Cloth Monkey, for all its surprising initial burst of speed, was no match for even a trotting dragon.
With a final lunge, Peyote reached out a large, tan arm. He didn't pounce or crush, but rather scooped. His large talons closed firmly around the small, fleeing form.
"Got it!" Peyote crowed, a triumphant grin spreading across his snout. He lifted his talon, bringing the captured Cloth Monkey up to his eye level.
The creature let out a terrified, high-pitched shriek that was abruptly muffled as Peyote's claws inadvertently closed a little tighter. It dangled limply for a moment, its small limbs flailing uselessly before it seemed to go rigid with fear.
"Easy, Peyote, easy," Apex rumbled, approaching cautiously. "You're going to squeeze the life out of it. Loosen your grip a bit."
"Gotcha!" Peyote announced triumphantly, grinning as the relaxed his claws. The Cloth Monkey gasped, taking a ragged breath, and its eyes snapped open, wide and frantic, others caught up, crashing through the last of the foliage.
Apex arrived first after Peyote, his golden scales catching darting between the giant scaled faces peering down at it.
"Wow," Barchan breathed, inching closer. " the dappled sunlight. "Peyote! Gentle with it!" he rumbled."
Barchan approached with his head and sniffed, and the Cloth Monkey in response let out another high pitch shriek. Its small, five-fingered paws scrabbled uselessly against Peyote's scales.
"Hey, hey! Back off, Barchan!" Vireo said, his voice firm. He nudged Barchan gently with his shoulder. "Can't you see you're scaring it half to death? It's chest is heaving. All of you, just give it some space. We're not going to learn anything if it dies of fright before we even get a good look." He looked at Peyote. "And you, try not to look like you're about to swallow it whole."
Peyote blinked, his enthusiastic grin fading slightly. "Oh. Right. Sorry, little guy," he murmured to the creature in his grasp, though it was doubtful it understood.
Just then, a faint, rhythmic sound, barely perceptible above the jungle hum, reached Vireo's ears. Whump-whump-whump. It was distant, but growing marginally louder. He looked up, scanning the slivers of sky visible through the dense canopy. "Anyone else hear that?"
The others froze, their attention shifting upwards. Apex tilted his head, his amber eyes narrowed. "Wings," he said, his voice a low growl. "Large ones. And definitely not one of ours."
A shadow swept over their clearing for a mere instant, a darker patch against the already dappled light, before it was gone. It was too high and too fast for them to get a clear look at the dragon itself, but the brief silhouette and the powerful beat of wings spoke of a significant flyer. Then, the sound began to recede.
"Ventifact dragon," Caliche hissed, her scales seeming to bristle. "One of the mainlanders. One of the 'hunters,' I'd wager." Her gaze swept the surrounding jungle, suddenly more alert. "They're here. Or at least passing through."
"And they didn't see us," Scoria added quietly, her violet eyes also scanning the canopy. "We were lucky. If we'd been flying above the trees when it passed..."
Apex ruffled his wings. "We can't linger," he said. "If hunters are actively patrolling, this island is even more dangerous than we thought. We got our glimpse, maybe it's time to head back before our luck runs out."
"Head back?" Peyote exclaimed, his attention snapping from the sky back to the small creature still in his talons. His frill drooped dramatically. "But… but what about it?" He held up the Cloth Monkey, which was still trembling but had stopped shrieking, perhaps too terrified to make more noise. "We can't just leave it here! We caught it! It's special"
"It's a wild animal, Peyote," Scoria said, her voice flat. "It lives here. We let it go, and it goes back to its business."
"But what if those hunters find it?" Peyote argued, his voice rising. "They might kill it! And it's so small! It wouldn't stand a chance! We could… we could protect it!"
Vireo looked at the small creature. Peyote had a point, albeit a typically Peyote-ish, overly enthusiastic one. If this island was a restricted hunting ground for dragons, what did that mean for its other inhabitants, especially one so seemingly defenseless? He'd seen rare instances where Cloth Monkey meat or Wolf Monkey meat was sold in limited supply at shops.
"He's not entirely wrong," Caliche mused, looking at the Cloth Monkey with renewed interest. "Studying it in a controlled environment, away from potential island predators and those Ventifact hunters, could yield significant information. The difference between the class pet Cloth Monkeys and a just-caught wild one!"
"Bring it home?" Boulder said, his eyes widening. "Like, to our houses? My mother at least would have a fit!" He then grinned. "But it would be cool!"