In a seemingly serene forest on a slight slope stood a tree among many with weeds at its roots and vines up its trunk, a lone buss at it's vicinity.
~Rustle~ ~Rustle`
The grass parted in two paths for a couple of centipedes heading for the busses unhurriedly, it seems there is no danger they can perceive
The two centipedes looked alike but also differed, one was slightly longer than the other, with the longer one looking ordinary, black with orange legs, though still chill inducing nonetheless.
The other though was more exotic, white like snow seemingly an albino, but no, it's underbelly certainly onyx along with its legs; pretty rare breed for these parts.
Underneath the shade of the unassuming buss the centipedes used their antennae to smell their surroundings.
It seems they caught a whiff of some critter in a hole close to the roots of the buss
With unwavering confidence or more likely complete trust to their instincts they forged ahead
Inside the hole the light didn't reach, though the centipedes least trusted is their sight so no problem there
Following the scent trail they reached a wider space. Inside there where small black rodents sleeping, probably nocturnal, two big and eight small.
It seems it is the lucky day for the centipedes, a scrumptious feast on silver plater
They both attacked the two bigger ones first, one each, maybe out of instinct of danger or perhaps the budding of intelligence? No one knows.
The clutched hard with their mandibles on the unaware prey and seeped their deadly poison claws, unfortunately the prey got alerted together with the young
The adults where already in their grasp but the young alerted and panicking run deeper in the hole.
Sure enough, instinctual attacks aren't the most efficient but the two centipedes don't seem to care or even notice.
~Squeak~
The rodents breathed their last a few seconds later, the poison spreading incredibly fast in such a small body.
With that out of the way they started eating and they ate pretty fast with the bigger one even eating the fur and bones of both critters.
It seems this longer one is the brute and the other is the elegant one. Really, what a stomach that one
They seemed out for blood, starting following the send of the eight young, unfortunate those eight with these demons after their tail, but out in the wilderness only strong survive.
Hours later the two centipedes reached an underground cavern but they lost the scent trail, you win some you lose some.
~Fuuuush~
The cavern was moist and noisy, a river passing thru and the hole of the centipedes on the wall, high above, touching the river and no shore
But no problem for our centipede friends for they are capable of side ways scaling of walls.
Moving in parallel with the river they reached a high waterfall, but they didn't stop and continued sideways towards an opening in the way they were heading, chancing upon it
It seems the water has eroded the previous path towards the opening, so in such a high climb is only possible for flying creatures or smooth surface climbers.
Weirdly no bats where inside the cave and no insect can pass the river normally beside our lucky friends