Kingdom Death - Prologue (Narrative)

I convinced my wife to start a campaign with me and figured I'd write up our success (and more likely failure).  Enjoy.

The darkness roared as Mindy scrambled to her knees. She glanced to either side and saw three bobbing lights as their bearers ran toward her. Instinctively huddled shoulder to shoulder, they scanned the darkness at the edge of their dim light. They knew they were fighting for survival.

Without further warning, it attacked. It raked the survivor to her left across the chest and bellowed its nerve shattering roar. Mindy and the others still on their feet ran from the sound. It was too much for the survivor caught in the lion's grip. He uttered inhuman sounds as his eyes lolled back in his skull and he collapsed. The others steeled themselves and turned to face the monster as it tore the limp body apart, a lantern swung violently back and forth. Mindy remembered the sharp rock she held firmly in her hand, blood slowly running from the edge buried in her palm. She hurled it straight into the lion's side eliciting a disquieting cry of pain. As the lion raised its head toward the unlit sky, the two remaining survivors seized upon the momentary distraction and lunged forward. Mindy watched in awe as the fair-haired one raked the edge of a rock, shaped oddly like her own face, across the monster's outstretched neck. She knew instantly that something vital had been severed. As a torrent of blood gushed outward from the wound, the giant feline swiped harmlessly at its would-be prey before slowly lowering itself to the ground and exhaling one final time.

Without delay, the survivors set to work tearing the lion apart with their bare hands, salvaging everything they could and pausing only to tear off and swallow bits of flesh. Their task complete, they looked down toward the corpse of the unlucky man who had been torn limb from limb at the onset of their fight. After a brief moment the survivors met one another's eyes before wordlessly continuing the harvest.

Sated, the survivors began to walk. A light at the horizon grew nearer and excited sounds grew louder. As the survivors approached a towering mound of soft glowing lanterns, they were greeted with knowing nods by others  similarly covered in gore. Together, they set to carving bones and drying hides. As they worked, through utterances and pantomime, an understanding developed and they learned to express themselves with common voice. Mindy sat exhausted before the lantern horde and watched as four of their group hefted crude weapons with tired arms and set off with empty stomachs into the darkness.