Sunrise Gate

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A chill runs down my spine and I awaken. The fire has burned out, its embers glowing in the ashes. The sun is only rising, casting a pale pink over the skies above, its light trickling down through the canopy of the jungle, illuminating the area around us far better. I see Demi and Athair still asleep, their bodies intertwined, holding one another closely. I slowly make my way to my feet, as to not disturb them, Aaron resting against the trunk of a tree next to me, his head hunched over his body. That looks very uncomfortable. Should I wake him? No. He needs his rest.

The sounds of chirping birds calls my attention to the surroundings, watching on as birds of vibrant greens and blues and reds fly overhead, birds I have never seen before. The only bird I’ve ever known, come to think of it, is a Hawk. That is only a given. With nothing to do at hand, I look up to study this exotic species, a pair of red birds sitting in a tree; how they fly and where they land and what they sing to one another. One of the two has a blue feather under its neck - that must be the male, while the other is fully red. I watch on as the male opens its beak slightly and lets out a harmonious song, the female replying straight after in short bursts of tunes.

The two continue this until the male raises his wings and takes flight, the female chasing after. I watch carefully, trying not to lose sight of them. I know I won’t. This is only natural. I follow them as they interweave their way through the green canopy, the red of their feathers the perfect contrast. I watch them move further and further away, walking and shortly after jogging towards them. They slow pace and twirl around a tree, moving lower and lower, the female chasing the male, until they are at eye level.

My eyes focus on the area behind them and I notice a very large rock covered in a thick layer of moss, its sides covered, only allowing some of the rock to peek through.  Something stands out, though, and I move closer. Something about the rock,  it’s so smooth. How can that be with no running water over it?  I walk closer to it, its texture coming into focus and I notice, it has a slight green hue to it. Like a sea green. What kind of rock is this? The birds stop chirping as I come close enough to touch the giant boulder, its shape more clear up close than before. It’s perfectly round. Or, at least, very close near it.  I look back over my shoulder, the fire not far away at all, still perfectly in clear sight. How did we not notice this before? I realize how dark it was last night and my question is answered.

I turn back to the rock, noticing a particularly dark spot covered thick in patches of moss. What is that?  I think, and I reach slowly to touch it, cautious that it may be something dangerous. I feel squeamish, wary of what the dark spot may be. Is it a fungus? Or even worse, some slimy creature?Something flickers within the dark spot and immediately the feeling subsides as I reach out and throw the moss away, revealing a passage.

“What in Rah…” I say aloud, taken aback by the site. I begin to tug on the moss covering the passageway and overhead I see it snap, long chains of it falling to the ground revealing a far larger opening several times higher than my size.

“By the Gods what is this!” I shout. “Demi! Athair! Aaron!” I run back to camp, “Get up!”

Athair jumps from the ground, throwing Demi off of him, causing her to wake as well. “What!” he draws his axes, “What is it! Lyra are you okay!?”

His shouts cause Aaron to jolt awake, and I reply, “I’m fine, but look at what I found!”

Athair, full of energy, follows directly behind me, the spirit of adventure within him taking over. Demi and Aaron lag behind. Before I can point them in the right direction, Athair spots the opening and rushes it, Demi and Aaron running behind him. I follow.