By the Light of the Firefly
It was one of those practices that seemed to catch both humans and elves. Curious, he thought, as it was inane and was much work for a small light source. But he followed Atlas, the man looking perfectly pleased as he caught fireflies in his hands, then deposited them in the jar Solas held. The cork at the top had a few small holes carved into it for air, but was otherwise an apt container for the little bugs.
They had been at it for two hours, topics of discussion ranging from food to politics, to the Inquisition, and back again, changing so rapidly it was a wonder they both kept up with it so easily. But as they moved farther from the Hold and towards the forest, the fireflies seemed denser, but still quick to dart away from Atlas' clasping hands. Solas found it... Relaxing, to talk with the man as Atlas, not just the Inquisitor.
He placed another bug in the jar when a particularly large one flitted by them. Atlas promised they could go back inside after they caught that one, and Solas agreed, the two of them trotting off after the bright little bug. A few times they nearly had it, then it would jump off again.
It wasn't until Solas hit a wall of stench that he dropped the jar and covered his nose and mouth, Atlas doing the same. Decaying flesh. It was putrid, invading his senses and blocking him from thinking of anything else. Atlas had begun to move again, and Solas followed, absently leaving the small jar on the ground. Something about wanting to find the source, Atlas had said.
The pit was massive. Enough that it was impossible for them to not have seen it before. Bodies hung from the trees, littered the pit from side to side, sometimes whole, sometimes in... pieces. Some of those bodies looked fresh, like they had been dragged there moments before.
In the center, the firefly they had chased hovered and moved around, as though this had been the destination. Solas fought the bile in his stomach, looking to Atlas, the man's arm still over his face.
The sound of footsteps snapping twigs and dead leaves.
Solas looked across the pit to where a tall, disgustingly thin figure stood, hunched to the side as though its spine was bent. By the light above, he could see the creature's moon-white skin stretched over its bones, lidless eyes locked on the two of them. The way in which it stood, overly long arms dangling at its sides and long legs knocked together, made the elf wonder how it stood at all.
The firefly flew up to the beast and landed on its eye, crawling around before it dove into its mouth.
Finally, after standing in complete and unnerving stillness, the beast moved, stepping down into the pit and walking over the bodies as its jerking walk carried it directly for its two newest targets with a frightening speed.
