Piper knew that she was not supposed to be down here. The caverns were off limits to all of the village children. The entrance had even been boarded up; to make sure that none would have the opportunity to sneak down there. But Piper was not one to listen to the advice of her elders. She was curious to see just what was down in the caverns that made them so dangerous. And so, late in the night, she stole away from the village. Carrying a lantern, she made her way to the edge of the village, and into the forest where the mouth of the cave could be found. It had taken much effort, but she managed to pry one of the boards off, lending her enough room to squeeze through.
She stood up and dusted herself off, before lifting the lantern and peering around. The floor was covered with a thin layer of dust; a testament to just how long the cave has gone without visitors. The walls were made of cold, gray stone, jagged at the mouth of the cave. But, oddly enough, they smoothed out, and strange markings and pictures seemed to be carved into them. Further back, she was able to see dim, blue light. She narrowed her eyes slightly. Was someone else in here? If not, then where did the light come from. Curious, she moved deeper into the cave. The dust helped to muffle her footsteps, but the lantern light gave away her presence. However, despite her lantern light, the shadows swirled around her, concealing the creature the lurked within them until it was far too late. It hit her on the back of her head with something hard, probably a rock, and sent her crashing into unconsciousness.
*****
It was nearly impossible to tell just how much time had passed since she had fallen into unconsciousness. She had been carried deep within the cave, so deep that she could not see the cracks of daylight as the shined through the boards at the mouth of the cave. Marveling at how much her head ached, she reached up to brush aside a few strands of auburn hair to see just where she was.
Piper appeared to be lying face down on some sort of altar. Torches burned all around her, their flames casting an eerie blue light. The table that she had been placed on was made of stone, ornately carved with similar symbols that she had seen on the mouth of the cave. Though she could not see it, she was not alone. A demon knelt on the altar at her feet, it's green skin covered in scales that glittered in the torchlight. It was about seven feet in length, its hairless head crowned in horns. A long tail was wound off of the table, gently sliding over the floor.