Three-sixteen’s POV
Three-sixteen awoke to a gentle tapping sound. The sifter was still curled around her pups, her whiskers wrapped around them protectively. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t react at all to the noise.
He wondered what it was like for sifters, living near a mine where explosions, drilling and constant chipping away at the walls created an ominous melancholy. The creature’s must’ve learned to ignore the noises over time, but Three-sixteen was anxious. He knew how quickly a machine could bore through the ground and right into their little—her little den.
Three-sixteen tried to focus on the sound. It was difficult to make out through the rumbling, even when he placed ear against the stone wall. It was like someone knocking on a door, only they were knocking on the wall or a rock or something. The knock was also strangely fast and more like the sound of stone rolling over stone.
Three-sixteen wondered if there was another sifter outside. If it was, would it be friendly or would it try to kill him and the other sifter? He wished he understood these creatures more, or rather he wished the mine had never collapsed. If the mine was still intact, then he wouldn’t be in this situation at all. He’d probably be helping to haul out a crystal heart about now. The sifters would just be the vicious beasts that magistrates had to kill.
The knocking stopped for a moment, then picked up again.
Three-sixteen thought it sounded closer now, but it was still very distant. He still couldn’t tell what it was, but he thought it couldn’t have been human. He also decided that the noise was more of a clatter than a knock. Maybe it was a sifter then?
Three-sixteen looked over at the sifter with her pups and wondered if she was awake or not. He wanted to know if she heard the same thing he did—if she knew what it was.
There-sixteen couldn’t stop thinking about the sound. What if it meant danger? What if it was help? He had to know.
There should have been an exit tunnel from when the mama sifter brought him into the den, but Three-sixteen couldn’t find so much as a crack in the wall. It was as if they were wrapped in a stone capsule. The walls were smooth, too smooth to be natural. It must have been the sifter. She must’ve had magic or some ability to manipulate earth.
He wasn't sure what would happen if he woke up the sifter, but he really needed to know more about the noise.
Three-sixteen stood up, then walked over to the creature and her pups. He told himself that he shouldn’t wake her, but he was too anxious.
He stood beside her huge head and gently touched her snout.
She wouldn’t harm him now, if she had any intention she would have done it by now. Three-sixteen wanted to believe that, but when a large yellow eye popped open beside him, he jumped back in fear.
The sifter seemed annoyed. She didn't move, but her eye followed Three-sixteen as he backed away.
When he was a few feet away, the sifter closed her eye again.
The pups stirred, rolling around and shifting positions. One of them stretched out, and another growled softly. They didn’t seem to notice his presence, but he didn’t think they were going back to sleep. The little one was pulling itself up on the mother’s back and using its long whiskers to poke and prod at her as it went.
Three-sixteen swallowed his fear as regret built in his gut. He didn’t mean to disturb the littles. He only wanted a way out of the den. A path back to the world he came from.
He considered trying to entertain the pups, but how could he do that? Even without trying, they would kill him as easily as he squished cave beetles. No, Three-sixteen absolutely could not entertain the baby sifters—infact, it was now more urgent that he leave.
The mother sifter snorted, a long heavy snort. She stretched her legs, arching her back and letting out a soft purr. The babies squeaked and growled, and as their mother curled her whiskers around them she let out a gentle growl.
The pups stopped moving, but it was clear they weren’t going back to sleep.
From the look in their eyes Three-sixteen knew they were hungry. When the mother’s eyes fell back on Three-sixteen, the cave rumbled with a soft hum and her eyes narrowed.
Raising his hands, Three-sixteen announced, “I just want to leave. I didn’t mean to wake them or disturb you.”
With another low rumble, the sifter stood to her feet, towering over Three-sixteen. He wondered if he should run, but there was no where to go. He wasn’t going to find another exit.
The sifter walked past him, her steps shaking the ground as she made her way to the far wall.
Her long whiskers moved against the stone surface, breaking off shards of rock with each scrape. It took only a moment to open a hole into a tunnel that ran along side the den. The sifter didn't stop there though, she kept going until she'd carved out a path nearly the width of the den.
The sifter stepped through the opening and gestured for Three-sixteen, and her pups, to follow.
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Three-sixteen walked with the sifters in darkness. A silver glow from the sifter’s whiskers provided just enough light that he could make out shadows. The path was long, winding and full of large cliffs that Three-sixteen would never have been able to climb; fortunately one of the pups saw fit to give him a lift. Sometimes they went up sometimes they went down, but always in darkness and Three-sixteen realized, always in silence.
He didn’t know where they were going, but he knew he wouldn’t make it far in these tunnels on his own. He also didn’t know if the sifters would let him leave, or what else might be lurking in the darkness.
Three-sixteen was curious about the sifter that brought him here. She had saved him from the collapse and she now she seemed to be treating him as one of her own cubs. She seemed to care for him, and he couldn’t imagine why.
They continued traveling in silence for several minutes until they came upon a wide open cave covered in crystals. Gentle light filled the cavern and Three-sixteen couldn’t believe the sight.
Yellow clusters of glowing rock jutted out from every surface, all pointing towards a crystal pillar at the center of the room. Something was inside the crystal, but Three-sixteen couldn’t say what. He did know one thing for certain though. This was the true heart of the vensolic crystal tree.
Whatever was inside, Three-sixteen could sense its power even now. He thought it must have been a truly terrifying entity in its life. He couldn’t take his eyes off it.
As Three-sixteen walked into the room, the sifter turned to look at him. She waited for a moment, then turned away and moved toward the crystal pillar. Her cubs followed her until they stopped beside a pile of rocks. They sniffed and pawed at the stones, before biting at them and probing with their whiskers.
The sifter seemed to understand what her pups were doing and she helped them break up the stone by whipping it with one of her whiskers. The pups ate the resulting shards and the larger pieces were swallowed whole by their mother.
Three-sixteen watched the pups eat, surprised that they devoured the crystals like he might attack a fresh lump of meat if he could afford it. Eating so many crystals would be fatal, he thought even to magistrates. He wondered if the pups would be okay.
The sifters were not like humans. Maybe their bodies could handle the crystal’s effects better; or perhaps the crystals were meant for them all along.
The pups were already showing signs of accelerated growth. Their whiskers were longer now and their paws bigger. Three-sixteen thought they might even be able to break the crystals on their own now. He watched with curiosity a short while longer, then he heard something…or maybe he felt it.
Three-sixteen found himself looking at the crystal pillar again. His body tingled with a fain vibration. It was harmonious like a familiar tune or gentle whisper. A spark ran through him and his mind went blank.
There was a crystal in his hand. Then it was gone. His stomach felt full and energized, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more.
Three-sixteen was on his knees, digging into the ground. He ripped out a cluster of yellow crystals and shoved them into his mouth, crushing them between his teeth and swallowing.
His head pounded, but he didn’t stop. He tore at the crystal cluster, breaking it apart and shoving the pieces in his mouth. He choked as some of the fragments cut into his throat, but he kept eating.
A powerful force struck his side and Three-sixteen went flying across the room, crashing into the wall and falling into a pile of crystal. The resonance broke violently, his body trembled with pain. His head pounded harder now, and his muscles felt like they were ripping themselves apart.
Three-sixteen couldn't move. He wanted to scream, but he didn’t have the strength.
He was dying. He knew he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it.
Then the mother sifter was there. Her long whiskers wrapped around him, lifting him from the ground and setting him on a small mound of soft earth.
A harsh voice tore through his mind like an echo shouting words he couldn’t understand.
Three-sixteen screamed, and the mother sifter roared back.
The sound of her voice was like a thousand thunderclaps echoing through the cave. It shook the earth beneath him, and when the sifter stopped roaring the cave fell silent.
Three-sixteen saw the crystal pillar, only now he could see inside it. There was something, someone there. A pair of haunting yellow eyes glared down at him.
The sifter roared again, louder this time. The vibrations made Three-sixteen feel as if his head would split apart.
The crystal pillar flashed bright yellow and a bolt of energy shot from the top. It was aimed directly at Three-sixteen, but the mother sifter blocked the shock with her whiskers. The energy deflected away, hitting the cave wall and shattering a large section into dust.
The sifter roared again and again, each time the crystal flashed and energy bolts shot out, the sifter blocked them all.
The voice in his head grew louder and Three-sixteen realized it was the voice of the crystal. It was screaming at him. Demanding he die, insisting he would be devoured.
Three-sixteen couldn’t move, and he didn’t have the strength to fight back, but he knew he needed to break the crystal.
The sifter kept roaring, blocking the crystal's attacks with her whiskers, but Three-sixteen knew she couldn’t hold out much longer. She was fighting her nature of obedience to the crystal. She was fighting to save his life.
Three-sixteen tried to stand, but his legs failed him and he collapsed back onto the pile. He could still see the crystal. He knew he was too far away to reach it, but he had to get closer. He had to destroy it.
With the last of his strength, Three-sixteen forced himself to stand. His body shook and he could barely keep himself upright, but he moved. He staggered forward, one step at a time. Two of the sifter pups came to support him. They pressed themselves against his sides and helped him move forward.
As he reached the crystal, Three-sixteen was amazed at the power he felt radiating from inside.
He tried to lift a fist to smash it, but his hand wouldn’t respond. The crystal roared with anger, but Three-sixteen didn’t back down. He couldn’t even if he had wanted to.
He leaned forward until his forehead touched the crystal and a blinding light filled his vision. The crystal roared again and this time Three-sixteen roared back.
The crystal was silenced and a crack appeared in its surface.
The resonance returned, and the voice was gone.
Three-sixteen fell backwards onto the ground, his body tired and yet energized.
The sifter pups were there to catch him, their whiskers wrapping around him as they gently lowered him to the ground.
The crystal pillar lost its color as yellow mist escaped through the crack. Three-sixteen watched mist floated up through the cavern’s ceiling. He turned when the mother roared again, a sound that brought a smile to his face as he realized it wasn't a roar at all. She was purring.
The Crystal pillar, now almost completely transparent crumbled into dust along with whatever creature it once contained. As the last remnants of mist drifted away, the powerful presence faded and Three-sixteen was left in a room full of yellow crystals.
A sifter pup nuzzled his arm, its eyes staring expectantly into his.
Three-sixteen laughed, and the pup growled with joy.
The other pups ran up, and all three were pawing at his chest, growling and purring for his attention. He wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, but he did know it was well past time he resumed his search for Five-ninety-one.