Lunar Heart, Shadow Bound ✓ [when the moon lies]

Ch.37: Through the Tunnel

Note: Above art "Dark North Tunnel" by me.

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Pinti, Daero, and Deel stepped paw onto the dirt path surrounded in frosted charcoal. Ice had spread part way, crawling across the black like white veins. A striking red tint touched the white as a large red sun rose in the black sky behind the Edgling castle, but not completely. It was like a child hiding behind a mother's leg, peeking out to see who was there.

Curving left and right, the path wormed its way through the icy field. It would have been shorter to walk straight, but it was better than walking over ice. Much too cold and slippery.

"You know, I don't think that red thing's a sun," Daero said, breaking the silence. "See how dark it is? We're in the Sixth Ring, the outermost Ring. The closest to actual space. And if that's the sun, why is it getting so cold? I think it's a moon or maybe another planet."

"But if it's not a sun, how was it hot there?"

"Probably the volcanic action heats the air," he answered. "Heatwaves from chemicals reacting to each other."

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

Deel answered instead. "He likes science."

She suddenly remembered the Human slang term for citizens that liked science without being scientists. "Oh, so a nerd."

Daero chuckled. "How do you pick up those words? Gamble, nerd, what else do you know?"

She pondered for a moment and chose one that was probably unique. "Starsurfing, but they called it shimmy," she said recalling the many Humans that took small flying vehicles up at night and raced each other, causing a ruckus. "They say things like, 'Hey, you wanna go up on a shimmy?' or 'Shimmy with me tonight?' I just listen to them talking."

He cocked his head. "Did all survivors do that?"

"Daero, Daero!" Deel squealed, tugging his paw. "Look!"

Pinti shook her head. "No, mostly just me. Most of them didn't even bother to learn much. They figured they would get to go home, soon."

"Daero!" Deel said, sounding impatient. But Daero ignored him.

"But in two years you got this far, it's impressive. I do hear a little bit of awkwardness in your pronunciations, but you sound almost like an everyday Universal speaker." He smiled as Pinti licked her shoulder. To her, she was just too stubborn to give up. Besides, she didn't want Humans to think less of her because she couldn't speak Universal.

Suddenly, Deel tugged her paw and a bit of claw grazed her skin.

"Heizak!" she said and glared at him, but he was gone. She searched and found him standing before the tunnel. Before she knew it, they had arrived.

"Look!" he said again and pointed to his stomach. "I can see more through me. Maybe I'll get to see what my guts look like?"

Daero made a gagging sound. "I wouldn't want to. Maybe something to do with the Dark North. If it's the birthplace of magick..."

As Daero mumbled to himself, Pinti let her eyes wander. The charcoal path turned to cracked asphalt which stretched into the mouth of the tunnel. On either side of the tunnel were smooth snow walls. A frosty mist hovered overhead, concealing the sky, and she couldn't see how far up the walls went.

The tunnel itself was the exact one from her dreams. She only saw it from the outside once, but without the snow or mist. Her heart began to thump. This was it. The tunnel to the Dark North. She was sure of it. Daero was examining Deel making him stand on the charcoal path and then back in front of the tunnel. Deel was definitely more transparent nearer to the tunnel.