Rayza blinked. There was a faint warmth in her chest - her spirit felt light, as though she’d just shed a great weight. Though once she placed her hand on it to check, it had already faded. She was disappointed - she liked that feeling. However, as fast as the sensation disappeared, so did her memory of it. What was she doing again?
“You okay?” Ielus asked, looking concerned.
“Yeah. Just spaced out a little.” She replied, nodding as she regained her bearings.
Right, they were on their way to the bluff Ielus had mentioned. In order to do so, they were following the creek, which had steadily grown wider. Ionyr was in front, happily chopping his way through the towering reeds with a knife, he grabbed from his mother’s kitchen along with a fitting leather sheath.
“Here we are.” Ionyr said as he hacked through another bunch of reeds. Placing the knife in the sheath on his belt, he parted the stems to reveal a steep wall of rock. Scattered over it were small growths of dark green moss.
“Rocksplitters!” Ielus excitedly ran past his brother and examined the moss closely. “It’s the first time I get to see it.”
He plucked off a little and put it into a small pocket in his knapsack. He took good care to not spill any dirt on the books inside the bag, which Rayza had snuck out for him. Ielus had been incredibly appreciative that she’d grabbed not one, but two thick books about aquatic life for him, and had taken great care of them so far.
“Rocksplitters?” Ionyr scratched his chin, examining the moss. “Why’s it called that?”
“The moss digs its way deep into rocks to access the freshwater below.” Rayza said, stepping past him and kneeling down beside Ielus. Plucking off a small chunk, she sniffed it tentatively. “It’s also known for its earthy scent.” She held it up for him to have a whiff.
“Hm. Smells like fresh rainfall.” He smiled. “I kinda like it. Think you can grow some more, Ielus?”
“Hard to say.” Ielus stood up and crossed his arms. “Rocksplitters need fresh water - really fresh, straight from the source. It’ll be hard to grow at home…but I’ll give it a shot.” He gave Rayza a wink. “If you can snag me some botany books, I’m sure I’d be able to.”
She nodded and dusted off her hands. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“By the way,” Ionyr piped in, “where did you say those ancient fish were sighted?”
“It was shellfish, brother.” Ielus said with a sigh, before pointing at the sheer cliff before them. “And Ol’ Goldie said the travellers saw ‘em in the spring.”
“So, near the source of the creek?” Ionyr kneeled down next to it. “We should probably follow it, then.”
“Alright then. After you, Leader.” Rayza said, giggling.
“About that.” Ionyr stood up, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. “Why do you call me the Leader?”
Rayza froze and put a finger to her chin. “Um…just because…you’re always the one who decides where we go.” She nervously met his gaze. “Shouldn’t I?”
“Hmm. If you put it that way…” Ionyr said, closing his eyes to think, before shooting a glance to his brother. “You good with that, Ielus?”
“I suppose…” Ielus grumbled. “You are always running ahead of us. Might as well be.”
“Guess I’m the Leader then.” Ionyr grinned ever so slightly before turning around. “Let’s go, team! After me!”
“Brother, don’t you dare-!” Ielus couldn’t even finish his sentence before Ionyr charged into the underbrush. Rayza blinked, trying to process the situation. Exchanging a glance with Ielus, he sighed and wagged his finger at her. Did she just mess up?
“You did this. Now we have to chase after him.” Heaving his knapsack onto his back, he started running - albeit with some difficulty. “Quickly now, before that idiot gets lost.” He panted, parting the bushes for her to run through.
“R-right.” As she went by him, she gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, Ielus.”
Ielus’s eyes softened, and he smiled slightly. “Don’t be. A frown doesn’t suit you.”
Rayza smiled back before taking off after Ionyr, who’d already gained a sizable head start. Making it through the woods was quite difficult on its own - coupling that with catching up to Ionyr made it damn near torture. No matter how fast her legs moved, he only seemed to shrink, gaining more and more distance on them.
Looking behind her, she could see Ielus following her at some distance as well, panting and heaving from carrying the heavy bag on his back. When he noticed her looking back, he curled his lips upward slightly, trying to put on a brave face - but his exhaustion was more than evident. His steps were slowing and becoming heavier with every second.
Eventually, he stopped entirely, keeling over to catch his breath. “Go…go on…ahead. I’ll…catch up.” He said, pointing ahead. “Catch that…that idiot and…get him to…stop. Tie…tie him up…if you have to.”
“S-sure thing!” Rayza replied, doing her best to not laugh at Ielus’ ‘brotherly love’. Jumping over roots and ducking under branches, she kept up her sprint as long as she could. Yet despite her best efforts, eventually, her stamina waned, and she slowed down. Panting for fresh air, she looked ahead and saw Ionyr still at full speed. “How…in the damn…”
She felt the urge to vomit. Looks like she went too fast for her own good. But she couldn’t just let him run off, either. So, taking one deep breath, she leaned back.
“GET BACK HERE, YOU DAMN IDIOT!” Rayza yelled, throwing her head forward, as though the motion would help catapult her voice further.
By the Spirits, that scream took the wind out of her. Keeling over, she heaved in air, trying her best to refill her body. Bile rose in her throat, and she barely managed to keep it down. Remembering all the times her father vomited after a long night of drinking, she felt a small sense of understanding for him. If she felt this shitty every morning, she’d also be having horrible mood swings.
“Rayza? What’s wrong?” Ionyr said, concerned.
“Huh?!” Rayza jolted up, seeing him seemingly appear out of thin air. “Where…how…”
“You look a little out of it.” He scratched his chin. “You okay?”
Her mind drew a blank. How could she be mad if he was this concerned? Sighing, she tried to calm her breathing enough to hold a conversation. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Rayza forced a smile, but gripped him by his shirt. “Please don’t run off like that.”
“Run?” Ionyr looked genuinely confused. “I was jogging.”
“...you were what?” Rayza felt faint. Was it her shortness of breath?
“Jogging. I was trying to go slow, for you guys.” He continued, looking around. “Actually, where’s Ielus?”
Rayza always thought she was physically fit. She could run for a while without tiring, and get from one end of the village to the other in a shorter time than most. Now, all of a sudden, she felt deeply insecure about her physical abilities. Was she that weak?
“Ielus is carrying a bag, remember?” She said, trying to push down those thoughts. “The one full of books?”
“Yeah, but it can’t be slowing him down that much.”
Is this guy for real? Rayza was starting to understand Ielus’ frustrations. Shaking her head and sighing, she gave him an annoyed look. “Idiot.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she shushed him with a finger. “Don’t argue. Just wait.”
“But-” He still tried it, but she silenced him again.
“Shhh. No buts.” Rayza’s tone left no room for argument. She was done chasing him through the woods.
Seeing her not budging, he sighed and sat down beside a tree, pouting. “Fine.”
She sat down beside him, satisfied with herself. As time passed and Ielus still didn’t show, her satisfaction began to dwindle. Had she been too harsh on Ionyr? He really seemed down. And despite her annoyance, she didn’t want to see him frown. Thinking about how she could cheer him up, she began absent-mindedly drawing circles in the ground.
Suddenly, Ionyr tapped her on the shoulder. “Do you have some paper on you? And a pen?” He asked, an excited glint in his eye. What happened? It was like he was a different person.
“Y-yeah. One moment.” She said, digging through her pouch. “Why?”
Handing him her small notebook and pen she stole from her father, she watched as Ionyr began to draw circles on the paper. They were crude and uneven, and he punctured the paper every so often. Rayza eventually recognized the layout: Ionyr was drawing a map. The same map he’d drawn in the dirt of their base.
“Curses.” He muttered as he accidentally pierced the paper again. Yet he still kept going, trying his best to draw even lines. When he’d finished remaking the map from their base, he marked down the X’s - before stopping entirely. He stared at the messy map, pen resting on the paper.
“Ionyr?” Rayza asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah. It’s just...” He laughed awkwardly. “I can’t write.”
“Huh? Really? But if you can read, why can’t you write?” She asked, shocked. His cheeks went red, and he averted his eyes.
“About that…” He chuckled nervously. “I can’t read, either. Pathetic, isn’t it?”
Rayza had never even considered the possibility. Growing up as the daughter of a Scholar of the Order meant that she was always surrounded by books - her father taught her the basics of reading and writing at a very young age. It had been so long ago she couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t able to.
She suddenly felt a renewed appreciation for her upbringing. Because now…
“Don’t worry.”
…she could do this.
“I’ll teach you.” She said with a smile. Ionyr’s eyes shimmered with a renewed sense of joy. “But first, give me back my notebook. I can’t leave our map unfinished.”
“Sure thing!” He handed her back her notebook and watched as she ripped out his drawing. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Can’t write on a torn page. You really need to get your strength under control.” Rayza said, before putting pen to paper and drawing the map anew. Unlike Ionyr, her softer touch didn’t tear the page, and her greater control allowed her to draw smoother, cleaner lines that showed the area in clear detail.
Yet, after finishing the first sketch, which just consisted of the map in their base, she felt unsatisfied. There were so many details missing from it. So Rayza started adding small touches, like a long line for the creek, small triangles as stand-ins for the woods around the village and a large semi circle for the bluff.
She started really getting into it after a short while, even going so far as to mark their houses and small landmarks they’d passed by. Eventually, she put the pen aside and gazed over her work, a satisfied smirk on her face.
“Whoa…you’re good at this.” Ionyr said, looking over her shoulder, marvelling at her work.
“You think?” Rayza turned to face him, only to suddenly realise that his face was inches away from hers. Yelping, she jolted away. Unfortunately, her hand got stuck under a root, making her fall over face first into the dirt. Good. That way, he didn’t see the massive blush on her face.
“Yikes, that looks like it hurt. You okay, Rayza?” He asked, kneeling down beside her and rubbing her back.
“Peachy.” She grumbled, trying to suppress a frustrated scream. “Everything’s…peachy.”
“If you say so. Why did you jump like that, anyway?” He asked, making her pray to the Spirits for salvation. Please, send anything, anyone to help her avoid this question!
“Finally found you guys.”
Praise be to the mighty Spirits!
“Oh, there you are. Took you long enough, Ielus.” Ionyr said, standing up.
“I don’t want to hear one word from you, brother.” Ielus snapped back, before pausing briefly. “What’s up with Rayza?”
“Dunno. She was drawing a really good map, then all of a sudden jumped up and fell flat on her face.” Ionyr said, blissfully unaware of his own guilt in this.
“It was your fault, idiot!” Rayza thought to herself, despite being grateful for his ignorance.
“And when exactly would you have helped her up?” Ielus said, sighing and kneeling down beside her. “Rise and shine, princess.” He shook her, and she grumpily pushed herself to her knees.
Dusting off her face, she noticed Ielus extending a hand. “Thank you.” She said, politely smiling and allowing herself to be lifted up. “How kind of you.”
“One of us had to inherit our mother’s kindness.” Ielus said with a cheeky grin. “Though when it comes to brute strength…” He shot a glance at Ionyr and sighed sadly. “I’m afraid my brother kept that all to himself.”
“So I noticed.” Rayza said, giggling. The two shared a laugh at Ionyr’s expense, who crossed his arms.
“If you two are done…” He jutted his thumb towards the way he’d run earlier. “I found a path leading up the bluff.” They stopped laughing and began listening intently. “Got your attention now, huh?” He laughed.
“Yeah, yeah. Enough of that, what did you see?” Ielus impatiently urged his brother to continue.
A grin spread on Ionyr’s face as he pointed up. “The creek led up onto the bluff…and into a cave.” He said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. “Ielus, Rayza…let’s go spelunking.”
----------------------------------------
The cave’s entrance was located in a small clearing, with the grass having been stamped out - likely by dozens of animals coming by daily for a drink. With the hill being incredibly steep, the water from the small creek had turned into a loud, steady stream barreling down into a small pond. As they entered the cave, Rayza examined the walls.
“It’s made of dirt.” She realised, breaking off a chunk and showing it off to the others.
“Like our home base?” Ionyr asked, giddily looking around. “Cool!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Yes, like our home base.” She said, smiling at his antics. Despite it all, she did find his excitement rather charming.
The entrance led into a small tunnel, big enough for an adult to walk through if they bent over. Being teens, they had no such problem, and they forged ahead, excited to see what lay at the end. The water stream had disappeared into the earth, but they could still faintly hear it splashing through the walls.
Eventually, the tunnel opened into an underground dome, about two to three times the size of Ielus’ garden.
“Whoa…” Rayza muttered wistfully as she took in the sight.
The ceiling had a hole in the centre, letting in the afternoon sun. Right beneath the hole was a lake that took up around half the area. At its bottom was a kind of round, shimmering rock, off of which the light refracted and illuminated the entire dome. The walls, too, were littered with life - from Rocksplitter roots aiming for the lake, to Splittersnails munching on said roots, to…some other kind of shellfish.
Come to think of it, she didn’t recognize that one. It was larger than most others, uncomfortably large. Its size was around an arm’s length, and it had a tough-looking green shell, adorned with a few black scales in its thorax. Long, feather-like appendages lined its sides, coloured white with red tips. Opposite its tailfin was a head from which two stalks branched off, with a large, spherical eye at each end. Beneath its head were two thick claws, which were currently busy digging into the dirt.
Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t tell what it was.
“This is it!” Ielus said, fearlessly running up to it while scrambling for his notebook in his bag. “This is the shellfish Goldie mentioned!”
Oh yeah. Rayza remembered seeing a sketch of it years ago in one of her father’s dustiest tomes - though there was still something bugging her.
“Looks kind of goofy.” Ionyr said, ripping her from her thoughts. He walked up to it and tapped its scaly hide. “What did you say this was called?”
Rayza and Ielus answered simultaneously.
“It’s an Anoranth Shrimp.” Rayza said, her tone betraying her hesitance and fear upon seeing this large critter.
“It’s an Anoranth Shrimp!” Ielus shared none of her concerns, instead devoting himself to giddily studying every inch of this specimen. He was carefully observing the shrimp and doing his best to sketch it - admittedly, he was even more skilled than Rayza with the pen. “Brother, can you take it off the wall and flip it? I would like to draw its belly too.”
“No problem.” Ionyr grabbed the shrimp without hesitation and pulled. It dug its claws into the dirt,trying its best to stick to the wall while letting out a high pitched wail. Rayza kind of pitied the poor thing - the wailing sounded kind of cute.
“Come on…get off!” Ionyr grumbled, pushing his feet into the ground and pulling harder than before. In response, it started wailing even louder. Rayza could see its front claws starting to give, tired from the struggle.
She couldn’t bear it any longer. “Stop!” She cried, running over to the boys. Grabbing Ionyr’s arm, she pulled it off of the critter. “Can’t you see you’re hurting it?”
Ionyr looked taken aback. His arm slacked as the critter dug its claws back into the wall, holding on tightly. While it stopped wailing, it was eyeing the three suspiciously.
“I…guess I was.” He said, casting his gaze at the ground, guilt written across his face. “Sorry, buddy.” He patted the shrimp’s head and sighed before heading over to the lake’s shore. Squatting down beside it, he began skipping stones. Rayza realised she may have been overly harsh again.
Before she could go to his side, Ielus tugged at her sleeve to get her attention. “Rayza.” He said, looking a little stern. “I wasn’t done sketching.”
“Wh-” Rayza couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Didn’t you listen to its cries? You two were hurting it!”
“Yeah, but-” Ielus tapped his fingers on his sketchbook. Glancing between her and his drawing, he eventually sighed and faced her with a softer expression. “Do you know why I was so excited to find the Anoranth?”
“No, you never told me.” Rayza said, crossing her arms. This better be a damn good explanation.
“Everyone thinks the Anoranth is extinct - but now we see it here, in the flesh. A fragment of the past, a time capsule that survived centuries, if not eons.” He stood up, stepping closer to the shrimp, softly rubbing its scaly shell. “Who knows how accurate our books are about it? How much has been forgotten?”
Picking up his sketchbook, he continued. “That’s why I wanted to - no, needed to find it. In order to document everything there is to know about it, to see how much our modern knowledge holds up. How much I can trust it.” Facing her, he shut the book.
“And yes, Rayza. I am willing to inflict a little discomfort onto the Anoranth for it. If this relic of the past can help us in the present, then I think that’s a price worth paying.” Ielus’ eyes burned with a deep, unyielding resolve. “I refuse to let anything else be forgotten. It’s too much, a cost far too great - always.”
Rayza took a step back. She’d never seen Ielus this passionate before. Yes, he had the occasional outburst like his brother, but now he seemed…different. Like he’d revealed the depths of his heart, what truly moved him. She felt like she was gazing at the real Ielus. His eyes suddenly softened. He opened his mouth, and…
“Look out!” Ionyr shouted, suddenly tackling them both to the ground. Not a moment too soon. Something large and massive swung by right where they were just standing. Rayza froze as her eyes trailed after the shadow.
She remembered what it was that bugged her about the Anoranth. What they’d tampered with before…
That was the juvenile.
The massive creature climbing out of the lake? Most likely the mother. And most definitely pissed.
It had a blue shell and stood on two short, bulky legs. Its body was more than double the length of its child. A long tail, around arm’s length and adorned with thick black spikes, was jerking around angrily at having missed its targets.
The spherical eyes of the juvenile were embedded into the shell, with only narrow slits for it to see - focused on them, filled with killing intent. And with its claws being triple the size…that would be no issue. They looked thick and sharp enough to cleave stone in two!
“Run!” Ionyr said, pushing himself to his feet. But it was no use. Rayza was frozen in fear. Meeting the mother’s furious gaze made her tremble. Her knees were weak, her mind blank - there was nothing she could do. Maybe this was for the best. After all, they tampered with these animals who were just living in peace. If it were the mother from the story - if it were her own child…
“Get up!” Ionyr suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “We need to go, now!”
She tried to protest, but the words got stuck in her throat as the Anoranth jumped off the wall and scuttled up to its mother. The adult coed and gently pushed her child into the water with her tail, ensuring its safety before focusing on the intruders.
Rayza was mesmerised by the display of motherhood. Maybe…what she read in the stories could be real, after all.
It growled as it stepped closer. She gulped.
“Snap out of it, Rayza! You too, Ielus!” Ionyr shook them, but to no avail. Ielus looked like he was going to die of a heart attack before the animal ever got to him. “Spirits’ sake…!”
Grabbing their wrists, Ionyr started running for the entrance tunnel. With a roar, the Anoranth gave chase, trying to cut off their escape. However, Ionyr was faster, even while dragging the two of them.
When the Anoranth noticed, it spun around and swung its tail - aimed square at Rayza’s back. Suddenly, as the spikes closed in, her survival instincts kicked in. Time seemed to slow as she realised she wouldn’t be able to dodge - if she ducked, it would knock her head clean off. If she jumped, she’d lose a leg. If she didn’t do anything…she died anyway.
“Not today!” Ionyr let go of her hand and jumped into the swing. He managed to catch the tail’s non-spiked midsection. Grunting as it pushed him, he somehow succeeded in stopping it completely. Turns out, the tail was incredibly immobile thanks to the shell, ensuring that it couldn’t wiggle to graze them with the spikes.
“Run!” He yelled, and this time Rayza was lucid enough to act.
“Yes, Leader!” She yelled back, grabbing Ielus’ wrist and running toward the exit. It wasn’t far by any means - Ionyr had carried them far enough. Looking back, she could see the Anoranth tear its tail from his grip, causing Ionyr to stagger forward before it spun the other way. It hit him square in the back with incredible force, sending him flying through the air with a pained scream. He landed on the floor, coughing heavily.
“No!” She cried, only to regret it immediately upon seeing it turn its attention towards her. “Oh no.”
Letting out a deep roar, it charged at her. Glancing at Ionyr, she bit her lip. He was still dazed, trying to get up. If she ran now, it would definitely block the exit, and he’d…
“I’ll distract it. You go grab that idiot.” Ielus whispered into her ear, before darting off towards the lake shore, opposite of where Ionyr was struggling to push himself up. The Anoranth, seeing him going near her children, immediately changed course and ran after him instead.
Rayza quickly seized the opportunity and ran to Ionyr’s side. Thankfully there was enough space in the room for Ielus to run about and distract the beast. Kneeling down beside Ionyr, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to his knees.
“You okay?” She asked, worried. He nodded.
“Peachy. Where’s Ielus?” He asked, looking around, before his eyes widened. “Ielus! What are you doing?!”
“What does it look like, genius?!” Ielus retorted, doing his best to avoid being pressed into a corner. However, as he ran and jumped along the shore…he slipped and fell to his knees. The Anoranth was upon him.
“No!” Ionyr made a step, only to keel over, coughing blood. His eyes suddenly fixated on the water.
“S-stay away!” Ielus stammered, doing his best to crawl away from the beast, who was raising its claw to tear him asunder.
Rayza was frozen in fear. Was she about to see Ielus die? No, she didn’t want that. What should she do? What could she do? Nothing came to mind.
There was a sudden loud splash from the lake.
“Hey, ugly!” Ionyr yelled, raising up the baby Anoranth, which started squeaking for its mother. “Look what I got!”
The mother immediately turned its attention to him. Her eyes were filled with unyielding, horrified anger. It dove into the lake head-first, swimming over to their side with break-neck speed.
“Now’s our chance! Go!” Ionyr screamed at the top of his lungs, tossing the baby back into the water. “Don’t worry about me, Rayza! Just run!”
Didn’t have to tell her twice. She took off as fast as her legs could take her. Glancing at the other side of the lake, Ielus was doing the same. Come to think of it, he was way faster now than before…
Where was his knapsack?
Her father…what kind of punishment would he inflict on her if she lost those books? She stopped and scanned the cave in a panic, searching for the bag. There! Just over there, by the wall! She’d stopped just in time. Lucky!
Rayza darted towards the wall. It would be fine. They were right there, it was a small detour. See? She was already there. All the books were already in the bag. Throwing it on her back, she stood up. Wait, there was Ielus’ sketchbook, right there on the way to the exit. Perfect! Running towards it, she bent over to grab it.
There was a loud splash, followed by a thick thump. It was right behind her.
“Rayza, run!” The brothers shouted from the exit. When did they get so far ahead? How were they supposed to help her if…
A cold sweat formed on her brow as the severity of her situation dawned on her. Quickly, now. She grabbed the sketchbook and ran for the exit. Roaring, its footsteps followed her.
They were getting closer with every thump. Rayza realised now why Ielus had taken so long to catch up earlier.
There was nothing to bail her out this time. Ionyr wouldn’t be able to grab the baby again. Ielus wouldn’t be able to distract it again, not when it was this close to catching her. Anoranth were carnivores after all. Come to think of it, didn’t they eat their prey…alive…?
Rayza tripped - too distracted by her thoughts that she didn’t see the small one climbing out of the lake to swipe at her feet. Falling to her knees, she felt it grab on tightly and squeak for its mother.
She looked up, seeing its two claws raised, ready to cleave her in two. This is it. This is where she died. Closing her eyes, she resigned herself to her fate. The beast roared, and its claws sliced through the air.
Suddenly, the Anoranth juvenile squeaked as there was a pull on her leg. Rayza was dragged along the floor, and she felt the juvenile flying off her leg, dropping into the lake with a loud splash. Opening her eyes, she saw Ionyr standing over her. He had pulled her away from the beast’s slash.
“I thought I was supposed to be the idiot here.” He said, with a disappointed, almost angry tone as he drew his knife. “Seriously, who risks their life over some stupid books?” She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“Let’s dance, ugly!” He yelled furiously, leaping at its back, knife raised. As the beast turned around, he stabbed it in its chest.
The blade snapped with a high pitched crack. Ionyr stared at it, dumbfounded.
“Well, that went way better in my head.” He said as the beast roared in his face, raising its claws yet again. “Oh, shit!”
He ducked under its swing and placed the knife in his mouth. Then, using its sturdy legs as a stepping stone, he vaulted up to its head. With the power in his jump, he managed to flip straight over its head, grabbing its jaws as he did.
Normally, he was much too small to topple such a tough beast. But with his immense momentum, he was able to make the Anoranth fall over backwards. As it lay on his back, stunned from the impact, he drew his knife. Bloodlust flashed across his face, and a wicked smile formed on his lips. Raising his weapon, he prepared to bring it down onto the beast’s eye.
A scared squeak made him stop. Glancing at the lake, he saw the juvenile shivering in the lake. Hesitating for a moment, he looked back at the adult, which was regaining its senses. Shaking his head, he sheathed the knife and ran over to Rayza, scooping her up in his arms with a dark expression.
“We’re leaving.” He said sternly, breaking into a quick jog.
“Y-yeah.” She stammered, her cheeks heating up. Wasn’t this called…bridal style? And more importantly, how was Ionyr still this fast after everything that happened? It was like he never took that hit at all!
Ielus waited for them at the exit, and together they rushed out of the cave, not stopping until they were far, far away from the cave.
“Give me a minute.” Ielus eventually said, the exhaustion written plainly across his face. “I’m not a crazy monster like you, brother.”
“Right.” Ionyr said, his face still tense. “We can rest a moment.”
“Thanks, Leader.” Ielus said sarcastically, before leaning against a tree and letting himself drop onto the ground. His breaths were deep and uneven. Unlike Ionyr’s, which were focused and shallow.
“Um…” Rayza piped up, raising her hand. “Could you…let me down…? Please?” The butterflies were going crazy from being held so closely. Ionyr’s arms and hands had a tight grip on her, yet…they felt nice, somehow. Secure. Safe. But she couldn’t bear the butterflies much longer - and her cheeks felt so hot they might explode.
“Oh. Uh, sure.” Ionyr said, breaking from his thoughts. “Sorry.” He leaned down and let her onto her feet.
“Don’t be.” She said, smiling widely. “You saved me, Leader.”
“Yeah…I guess so.” He stared at the ground. “I saved you…” He unsheathed his knife and looked at his reflection in it. Mumbling something under his breath, he sat on the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Rayza asked, sitting herself next to him. “You look down.”
“It’s just…” Ionyr ran his finger across the knife’s edge. “I almost killed its mother.” His finger started to bleed, but he didn’t stop running it across the edge. “After you told me not to hurt it, too.”
“Ionyr…stop. Your hand…” Rayza whispered, worried. She’d never seen him like this before.
“And before that, I almost tore it to pieces. The baby.” He pressed his finger deeper into the blade. Surely, it was cutting to the bone by now. “Even before that, with you two…” Ionyr gave her a guilty look, his eyes wet. “I am an idiot after all. I just don’t know when to quit. If I did, I wouldn’t be causing all this trouble. For you, for Ielus and for my Mom.”
Rayza placed her hand on his wrist and pulled the knife away.
“Stop.” She said firmly. “You saved me. Nothing else matters.”
He paused briefly. “I am the reason it attacked us.” Ionyr’s eyes were overflowing with guilty tears. “I’d say that matters.”
“What do you mean?” Rayza said, her eyes widening.
“After I let go of the baby one, I skipped stones. That’s when I saw it. Under the surface.” Ionyr gripped the knife tightly.
“There was an underground tunnel, that’s where it came from. It was drawn by the stones. And in that little tunnel, there were plenty of small eggs - some had hatched, too.” He continued, before stabbing the knife into the tree root beneath him. It splintered, causing wooden fragments to shoot in all directions, most of them embedding themselves in his arm.
“It was feeding its children a batch of Bassingers it’d just caught. Just like…” He didn’t even have to say it. Rayza and Ielus shared a glance of shocking realisation. “We just walked into their nest, their home, and almost killed their mother.”
Ionyr grit his teeth, frustrated and guilt-ridden. “I’m a monster.”
“Shut up!” Rayza yelled, slapping him. He paused to process it, then turned to her with a stunned expression. She herself took a moment, too. Her hand hurt, probably more than his face did.
“Why…?” He muttered, but she honestly couldn’t answer his question. By all accounts, he was a monster. But she didn’t care. He saved her. That’s all that mattered.
Following her instincts, she pressed her lips to his other cheek.
“What the-”Ielus shouted indignantly.
“What the-”Ionyr stammered at the same moment.
Rayza’s cheeks were flushed. Yeah, what the hell was she doing?!
“Y-you saved me.” She mumbled. “That’s all that matters, okay?”
Ionyr and Ielus shared a glance of pure, unadulterated confusion.
“Yeah, but did you need to kiss him to convey that?” Ielus asked, raising his eyebrow as he crossed his arms.
“Yeah, I agree with Ielus.” Ionyr said, scratching his head before chuckling. “I mean, it was kind of nice after you slapped me though.”
“Shut up!” Rayza buried her face in her hands. “Idiots! You’re both idiots!”
Standing up, she began running home.
“Hey, what did I do?!” Ielus yelled in an offended tone.
“Welcome to the club, Ielus.” Ionyr said, laughing loudly.
She hated them. She hated them both so much right now. But in some corner of her heart, despite everything that had transpired today, she was still grateful for it all.
Rayza had never felt this alive in her entire life.
Her vision went white.
----------------------------------------
An interesting burn. Many things to dissect.
The male is braver than expected. A good leader, and protective. He will keep the Star safe from others.
The female can keep him under control. She will keep the Star safe from the male, should the need arise.
There is one more memory burned deeply into her soul. Let us investigate it and conclude this test.