blossoms-in-sog

[blossoms-in-sog]

Chapter Four:

The three of them sat at the long dinner table, complete silence filled the room.

         Amri had always wanted to see the three of the re-united, the adventurers who saved the Gelfling from being drained, and who united all the clans together to fight the Skeksis.

              But not like this.

      Amri decided to break the silence by asking a question, one he was sure Naia was asking too.

         “What are the things you were running from?”

             “I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re some kind of Arathm, I don’t know how, but somehow they’re being controlled by the Skeksis.”

        Amri reached out his hand across the table. “Show me.”

     Kylan locked his hand in Amris, and they both reached out their free hand to Naia, which she took gently.

         Amri tried to pretend he wasn’t scared, but he was. He hoped it didn’t show. Kylan and Naia already had their eyes shut, locked into Kylans dreamfast, but Amri feared what he would see once he closed his eyes. Eventually, he did. And he didn’t see a terrifying spider demon lunging at him through Kylans eyes. He saw Onica, gently laughing as she said something to Kylan, which Amri didn’t understand. Both their heads turned out of the shelter of the ruins they’d been camping in, and saw a stonewood gelfling, screaming and running as fast as he could. They both stood up, shaking, fearing that they may have to fight a Skeksis. The Gelfling screamed “Run!” Before a large claw snatched it right back into the brush. In the dreamfast, Kylan turned to Onica, and they locked eyes. 

             The dream changed, he now saw screaming Gelfling left and right as he weaved in and out of the brush, Onica was nowhere to be seen at this point. 

       The dream cut forwards again, or maybe backwards, as he saw a clear view of the crab-spider-monster, its black shell gleaming in the sunlight. It turned right at Kylan. 

          Even though Amri wasn’t there, he felt an intense surge of fear. 

    The dream ended abruptly, and the three of them looked at each other with the same fearful expression. 

             “What do we do now?” Amri asked, “I don’t know.”

                  “What happened to all those Gelfling?” Naia asked, 

“I saw them just be grabbed, none of them were killed. I assume they’re having the controlled Arathm do the dirty work for them. But still that doesn’t make any sense, because they’ve tried this before, and the Arathm rebelled.”

         “Then those aren’t Arathm.”

       “Well then what are they?”

                            The room fell into silence. No one knew the answer. 

   “We need to find the missing gelfling, and bring them back to sog.” Naia said sternly. It didn’t sound like a suggestion either. It was a statement. A fact. 

             “Naia, we already discussed this. You’re being selfish. Countless people rely on you here. You’re really going to go out there to die and force your young sister to be Maudra in your place. She has no experience or training and is still mourning her mother and you are going to throw that on top of her? You must be insane! You’re not going, and that’s final.”

       “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ve made up my mind. And the Maudra was made up by the Skeksis, no one will need to take my place if I die.”

             Kylan jumped into the argument, “Naia it’s not if. It’s when. The Gelfling need you to lead them, Maudra or not!” 

           Amri tensed a little. He wasn’t used to his soft-spoken friend raising his voice. 

    Naia grunted in frustration, baring her sharp canines. Her golden eyes sharply caught Naias as she stood, shoving her seat back. She began to storm off, and Amri stood to follow. “Naia wait-” She turned back quickly, “Don’t talk to me! Don’t ever talk to me again!” She slammed the door to her bedroom behind her.

[blossoms-in-sog]

Chapter three:

As the day drew to a close, Amri found himself exhausted as any day in the Drenchen swamps. 

    He always tried to help out as much as possible, making sure to be useful. It was already bad enough he was a burden to Naia, he didn’t want to be a burden to the rest of the clan. 

          Amri wished with all his might that he was snug in his hammock, drifting off to sleep in calm, peaceful serenity. But the dream was quickly interrupted when the sounds of chaos filled his ears. 

   He lept from where he sat inside the great smerth, running out the door and straight to the stairs he’d taken this same morning. 

    His eyes instinctively shot around in search of Naia. He wasn’t sure what was happening. He saw flurries of Gelfling around, yelling and pushing their way towards the Apeknot where Naia had also sat in the bright sunrise. 

                 He couldn’t see Naia anywhere, so he asked the first Drenchen he saw. It seemed like the Drenchen kept an eye on one another, looking out for each one's safety.

    “Have you seen Naia?” He asked, “Yes, that way.” He said pointing to where most of the commotion gathered. 

         He felt his heart drop, then race. Fear overwhelmed him as he realized Naia may be in danger. He couldn’t tell from anyone’s faces if what was going on was good or bad, so he rushed to find out for himself. 

   Following the direction the drenchen soldier had given him, he quickly found the source. 

                               Kylan.

        Amri raced though the brush and stopped as he reached Naias side. 

     “Kylan, what are you doing here? I thought you were-” 

            “I was.”

        “Where’s Tavra and Onica?” 

     “I don’t know. It all happened so fast, i’m not sure where anyone is. All i know is that those things won't come anywhere near the swamp. Which means we’re safe here.”

       Amris stomach dropped. Safe from what? The Skeksis?

   “We need to go find the others, and bring them here to safety.”

“No Naia, you don’t understand how dangerous those things are.”       “I don’t care, even if i only save one Gelfling it’s worth sacrificing myself.” 

            “Naia, I am not letting you do that. You don’t know how much you mean to me, to your people. You don’t understand.”

    “I do. They need a hero.”

        “No they don’t, i need you.” 

             “You’re being selfish Amri, they could die! You need to let me do this.”

    “The caveboy is right, It is not worth the journey. You will just become more food for the Skeksis. you don’t stand a chance against those things.”

         Amri sneered at the nickname, but he still wondered what the things everyone was so afraid of were. If they weren’t the Skeksis, then what were they?

                “Let’s get you all inside, we can talk about this later.” 

                He could hear the annoyance in Naias voice. 

[blossoms-in-sog]

Chapter two:

The gentle sog breeze caused the trees to dance, and the fleeting sun bounced in and out of the leaves gaps, letting spots of sunlight illuminate the landscape.

He spotted Naia sitting on a large apeknot branch, high off the ground.

He ran up, not bothering to be graceful or silent, his bare feet clicking and clopping in the mud.

Naia glanced down at him below her, for once, she was taller.

She glided down, slipping off the branch with ease and gracefulness. Her wings caught her fall like the sails of a Sifan boat. It reminded him of their adventure on the coast of the Crystal Sea. Galloping through Cera Na in search of trouble. Which they evidently found in their encounter with Periss. It made him think of Kylan, and in turn, made him feel a little bit of loneliness. The song teller was no longer there with Naia and Amri on their adventures in sog, his lute and firca no longer filled the empty silence of evening time. It felt as if a piece of their team was missing, the trio had now become a duo.

She landed almost right in front of him, beautiful in the early morning suns.

“So you didn’t forget?” “How could i? you’re the only thing in my life worth remembering.”

He delivered the smooth line with a smirk, watching Naia blush.

She slipped a hand behind his neck, pulling him in for a ‘good morning’ kiss.

He returned it, feeling his pale Grotten face flush with color.

He didn’t want to pull away, he never did. Naias gestures of affection always felt warmer than a hearth fire, and so passionate and full of love, Amri couldn’t help but feel the same energy surge through his veins.

She eventually pulled away, laughing to herself for a reason Amri wasn’t sure of. He grabbed her hand, “Good morning.” He spoke softly, the words feeling calm and affectionate. She mirrored his words, before speaking her own, “care for a walk?” His ears percked up, “sure!”

So hand in hand, the walked through sog, neither of them knowing what to say. “I wonder what Kylan’s up to..” Amri wondered out loud, “probably still reading all those dream etchings.”

Naia was probably right, there was a lifetimes worth of reading at stone in the wood, and he was glad Kylan had found something he could be passionate about, just like Amri was about Naia.

They hadn’t seen Kylan since the war at stone in the wood, He wondered if their songteller had changed at all, physically, or mentally.

“He definitely has plenty to do, especially with Tavra and Onica around, I’m sure they’re having fun just the three of them.” Naia nodded in agreement.

“You can read too can’t you, you don’t even think about staying behind?” Amri’s large Grotten ears flattened against his head. He really didn’t think about it, but it made a little sense. Maybe if he hadn’t caught feelings for Naia he probably would’ve stayed behind. “Not really.” He said, looking at Naia with a smile, but Naia looked stern. “Why so serious?” “I don’t know, I just keep thinking about the future and everything.” She stopped talking, and for a moment Amri thought she was done, after all he was expecting a short winded answer, but suddenly she stopped walking, and started speaking again: “Us, my clan, I have the Spritan and Grotten to worry about too, the skeksis, and whatever creature they’re creating that Skekli told us about all the way back in grot. And Kylan. Oh, for Thra’s sake I can’t stop thinking about Gurjin and Rian! I promised Gurjin I wouldn’t worry, but I have, and I am!” They had stopped walking at this point, Naia tugged on her locs in nervousness.

Amri wasn't sure what to say, usually words slipped off his tongue like magic, but Naia had caught him so off guard with the outburst he couldn’t think of any words to speak.

“I understand what you’re feeling Naia. You’re feeling overwhelmed. There’s so much happening all at once, and it feels difficult when everything’s out of your control.”

She looked up at him, a gentle smile creeped across her face.

“How do you always understand how I’m feeling?”

“I know you well,” “or maybe it’s my creepy Grotten magic.” He said the second half to lighten the mood. Naia sighed, “we should get back.” “You’re right…is there anything I can help you with once we return?” “Probably, there’s always plenty of work to go around.”

Once they made it back to the great smerth, Amri spoke again, “well, in case I don’t see you again until tonight-“ Naia rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed, but breaking character when a smile made it’s way onto her face.

He kissed her once more, not as long as the last time, but the warmth stuck with him even after he watched Naia walk away.

[blossoms-in-sog]

Chapters

———————————————————————

Chapter one ⬇️

Chapter two ⬇️

Chapter Three ⬇️

[blossoms-in-sog]

Chapter one:

Amri held a hand to his eyes as the brothers shone brightly into his private room.

His hammock swung gently in the early morning breeze. Amri felt a shiver crawl up his spine as the cold brushed over him, soft and calm.

Naia had told him to meet her in the early morning, before the drummers pounded with the song of Thra to wake the sleepy drenchen gelfling.

He pulled his daytime clothes on, the green juxtaposed his pale bluish skin. Drenchen clothing, he learned, is very different from Grotten.

Leggings, tunic, and a light cloak. Their clothes have to be light, the mud makes it hard enough to navigate the swamp as is. And the quickest route through sog is leaping from apeknot to apeknot above the canopy, which in heavy clothing would make a hazard. Not to mention the humid, hot environment.

Amri was finally good enough at leaping through the trees that Naia doesn’t have to monitor his every move.

Countless times she’s had to launch into the air, catch Amri, and glide them to safety.

He swiftly stepped through the great Smerth, not making a sound as his feet gently tapped the wooden floor. Amri often used to get lost in the many rope bridges and rooms that interlaced, creating a beautiful pattern of passageways from place to place in the damp branches of the trees.

Although, now he found it much easier to navigate, memorizing the patters and turns through his new home.

He was much more quiet flowing from bridge to bridge now that he could ditch the shoes he’d worn for so long. Though he had become used to the feeling, he loved being able to return to his cave dweller roots, nimble and agile on his bare toes. though he never forgot Naias advice about ‘heel first’.

Before he knew it he’d reached the base of Smerth-Staba.

He squinted in the sun’s light, though he hoped, many unum ago, that his eyes would adjust to the blinding heat and light of the suns, it never really seemed to get much better. Perhaps it was just due to his cave borne eyes.

He gently touched the rough bark of the home tree. His eyes filled with sympathy for the poor thing. Black charred bark, burnt and fading away. He could tell, deeper within the tree, it’s life force was leaving it. Slowly, but surely the tree was dying. Where the tree had been abused by Skeksa, the pieces of dark bark stripped away revealed dark, almost black crystal veins, completely and entirely consumed by the darkening.

At this point in time, there was nothing in the world that could save the tree, not even Naias dreamfasting, or even her healing Vliyaya could save the thing the Drenchen had called home since the beginning of the Gelfing race.

He let out a sigh of sadness. The tree would only last so much longer, who knows where the gelfling would relocate after it finally passed.

But that was a question for another day.