Edited: May, 19, 2020
Note: Slightly long chapter. Above graphic made by me (Aug, 7, 2020). Titled: Transition To A Possible Land Structure
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It wasn't long before they came to another new part of the Forest Crup. Before them stretched a yawning cave with stalactites and stalagmites making it look like the cave had teeth. Water dripped upwards and a soft yellow light was coming through the opposite end of the cave.
Or maybe it's a tunnel if it has an end. She sniffed the air but all she could smell was wet rock, wet soil, and fresh air. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but she wasn't going to bet on that.
"Ooo," Deel said and his voice echoed. "A cave-ish thing. Do we go in? I'm going in, I like cave-ish things," he said and walked in ahead of her. "It goes all the way through, look!" He pointed to the opposite end and confidently made his way into the deep of it.
"Look, it's a real cave!" Deel shouted and his voice echoed all around them in hollow bounces. Pinti craned her head to look beyond the stalactites and stalagmites. Sure enough, there was a real cave off to the side with a high ceiling. The light from outside reached this cave, too.
"What if this is where Thereanbold lives?" Deel said, peering in. "Maybe we should check it out?"
"I'm not sure." Pinti twitched her whiskers, but before she could decide, Deel decided and ran off.
"Heizak, Deel!" She hissed and ran after him, careful where she put her feet because some rocks looked quite sharp. This was not a good place to get a cut if she could help it. So far, she had not detected even one ordinary herb for potion making. A basic healing potion for cuts needed three herbs—yarrow, goldenrod, and calendula.
Sorcerers don't need to use herbs for magick like Kathula do. She remembered Galag saying something of that sort. That meant it was still possible for Thereanbold to be living here.
A breeze whistled through rocks. The inside was cool, and moisture stuck to her fur. The ceiling became so high Pinti wouldn't be able to reach it even if she jumped. There were many holes in the ceiling and from there, a soft light shone through making puddles of yellow light on the cave floor.
"Pinti," Deel called. "Look," he whispered and pointed to their right. She sucked in her breath at the sight of huge stone statues carved into the walls. There were five of them on pedestals, each with a different face that had eroded. Up close, they were probably five times her height. She squinted her eyes at the pedestals catching some kind of inscription. It took a moment to recognize it—it was ancient Kathulan. She took out the Scepter of Tamido book and found the same squiggly lettering as the title.
"Oh, wow, are those the ones that you can read?" Deel said coming to stand next to her. "Those ancient squiggles are words?"
"You should know ancient Kathulan." She backed away at the stench of his breath. "And your breath still smells ancient." She waved her paw in front of her nose to rid of the smell. "If you want me to read, go over there."
"I'll keep my mouth closed," he said closed his mouth tightly.
Sighing, Pinti put the scepter book away. Deel held out his hand. "I'll carry it for you."
She eyed him suspiciously. He hadn't been thoughtful like that since they met, and he got her a room and food. She handed over the bag. "Uh, thanks, I guess."
Then she turned her focus back and used her tail to sign the letters. "Craft man plural peace, of, lie here." She said in Kathulan and worked in her mind to translate it to Universal to Deel.
"King and Shaman?" Deel's loud voice echoed in the cave.
"Shush." She scolded him. Her ears pricked at the sound of something fluttering in the back of the cave. Had they woken something? "Do any of those names sound familiar?"
"Never heard of such a thing."
"I thought you were doing research on this stuff." She narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not an archeologist. That was Lalina. Neither of us know about that. Neither of us were interested. And we relied on Lalina to look for that stuff on history."
What nonsense was that? She blinked. "Who is 'us'? You and Lalina?"
"No. She's the archeologist kind of anthrolopologee... I don't know, anyway, it's me and—"
"Wait." Her ears twitched, finding a tiny sound somewhere in the depths of the cave. "I hear something."
"I don't hear anything. As I was saying, me and him, but not really—" He smacked his lips shut.
"Mm!" He groaned and seemed to be struggling to open his mouth.
Now what? Shaking her head at his antics, Pinti blocked out his voice as best she could and focused on the other sounds around her. There it was—a fluttering sound like little wings flapping. Maybe some kind of bird?
"Ffffu!" Deel suddenly swore and Pinti turned to glare at him.
"Finally, you let me tal—mm!" He struggled with his mouth again. "Mm! Mm, mm!"
"Can you stop that!" She bared her fangs at him, and he did stop. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. With a grunt she went back to listening to the sounds of the cave.
"I only have one pill left. Idiot." He muttered. "No, I won't shut up. You can't make me." Out of the corner of her eye, Pinti saw him take the purple pill out but then he threw it across the cave. A tiny clatter echoed. Deel stared at the direction in shock as if he didn't just do that himself.
"Nooo!" He shouted. "Why did you make me do that? No," He grabbed his right arm with his left and began to wrestle with himself. A few times his right arm reached for the necklace. "Stop! No, I won't be quiet!"
"Shut the feigat up, will you?" Pinti hissed at him.
Then he stopped and grinned. "You said the exact same thing he did at the exact same time!" His smile grew wider. "That's awesome." He chuckled and began to dance around. "I won't shut uh-p," he sang.
The fluttering sound was wings flapping and a strange high-pitched, scratchy chatter could be heard as well. Whatever was coming towards them, the sound made her fur bristle on instinct responding to the anger it carried.
"They don't sound angry," Deel said and Pinti whipped her head around in surprise. Had she said something out loud without realizing it?
She could hear them. The creatures were getting closer. She couldn't smell them for some reason, but their chatter was getting louder and louder.
"We should go," she said to Deel.
"But I want to explore." Deel stuck out his bottom lip. "We just wanna be friends!" He called out. The creatures shrieked making the entire cave shudder. Deel let out a squeak.
"Now look what you did." She hissed. One of the creatures flew down from the ceiling with a high-pitched shriek. But it wasn't exactly flying. It was spinning.
It was in the shape of a comb about the size of her paw. Each spike on the comb had little pointed teeth on them. Where a thin film of flesh connected to its main body, Pinti could see its guts attached to the film and stretching throughout the main stick part of the body. The creature whirled around, spinning in the air, making that fluttering sound she had heard.
Before she could think of what to do, an entire swarm of the comb creatures came down from the ceiling. At last the leader came down. It was the size of her head. Massive fangs clanked together as it spun slower than the small ones.
Heart pounding, Pinti looked to Deel. His bottom lip quivered and there were tears in his eyes.
"We should run," she whispered and turned to go quietly, but Deel had other plans. He let out a scream and began to run back the way they came. Immediately the comb creatures took interest in him and half left to chase after him. Pinti cursed and eyed the other half. Their stares sent tingles all up her arms and legs even though they didn't have eyes.
She wanted to avoid running and making them chase her, but Deel was already out of the cave and jumping over or crashing through the stalactites and stalagmites ahead.
"Pfft, it's all his fault," she said and pelted after him. The comb creatures' shriek startled her, and she fumbled but soon regained her balance. The fluttering was after her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the leader comb creature burst with a 'boom!' into smaller comb creatures.
"You've got to be kidding me!" She hated the Forest Crup so much right now. Why couldn't it be a normal forest with normal creatures? With a moan she finally caught up with Deel, flailing his arms. Behind them, the comb creatures followed with their chattering teeth trying to bite them.
Her feet splashed through invisible puddles and water splattered on her head. She wove in and out between the stalagmites. The creatures' shrieking shattered some stalactites making dust and rock rain down. There was the cave entrance ahead. But was it this far away?
Together they ran to the end and out into a marshy swamp. It was a new part of the Forest Crup, but she didn't have time to take it in. The creatures were gaining on them. Pinti got down on all fours to run faster. Branches snagged loose fur and she left behind tufts of blue fuzz.
When water met her paw, she yelped and stood up just in time to splash into a moss-covered pond. She and Deel waded far into it. Deel held the bag up over his head, away from the water. Pinti looked over her shoulder. The comb creatures were still coming after them.
"Why are they chasing us so much? We're outside the cave now!" Deel complained as they hurried through the water as fast as they could go.
Her whiskers quivered, detecting a change in the air. Her fur dried instantly. Alarmed, she glanced at Deel who opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was muffled as they crashed into a bush and practically forced themselves out between branches.
Through the hole they made in the bush, the comb creatures could be seen spinning in place in silence and after a few moments, they began to spin away. Pinti let out a sigh of relief when the last one left.
"Fffu," Deel cursed, "I hate Crup."
Pinti nodded and leaned against a tree. "At least we're in a new part of it." She grimaced, still confused why both she and Deel weren't wet anymore. It was probably a Forest Crup thing, she guessed. With a sigh, she scanned her surroundings.
The trees around them were draped in linen-like moss. Muggy air clung to her fur making her whiskers feel heavy. She flicked them with her paw, but it didn't help.
Ahead of them a bunch of trees had fallen over, blocking the way to a hilly path she could see just behind the branches above. Sunlight poked through the trees and shone down on the fallen ones. Wet bark glistened, reflecting the yellow-orange light. She sniffed. A nutty, milky, and sweet scent hung loosely in the air. She didn't know what it was, but quite liked it. It seemed to come from the trees with giant fern leaves shading parts of the forest in shadowy stripes.
A thought crossed her mind. What if the comb creatures ambushed them at night? Pinti shuddered. Even though she could see relatively well in the dark, she had no idea what kinds of creatures came out at night here. They were already disturbing during the day.
"Let's keep moving," she said to Deel.
"To where? Our path is blocked."
Pinti unsheathed her claws. "We just climb." She scratched the bark. Her claws slid through the top layer of softened bark, but underneath was still rather dry where the water hadn't set in yet.
"Let's go another way." He pointed to the way they came.
She got it, of course. He just didn't want to take off the necklace and become Kathula having something against his roots. Maybe it was PTSD. But it was either that or back in the clutches of the shrieking comb creatures whose teeth could probably shred them both to bits.
"We just ran away from that way. Besides, we've been going forward so far. We might end up outside the moss curtain and have to go through the parlor again if we go back! Climbing isn't a big deal. You're Kathula. Just take off the necklace."
"No. Anything but that." He crossed his arms. "Especially with no pills."
"Well we can't just stay here and we're not going back." Pinti crossed her arms, copying him.
"No climbing." He whined. "And you keep out of this!" He jabbed a finger at himself. "I'm not going." There was a pause and his eyebrows twitched like worms. "Yeah maybe Thereanbold lives just beyond here." Another pause and he smirked. "I can talk out loud if I want to. Besides, I'm already crazy. What does she care?"
All the while he talked to himself, Pinti was beginning to feel more and more annoyed at him.
"No, no, no, Galag is kind and sweet and like a father to me. Don't call him such names!" He pinched his own cheek.
She wasn't sure if the purple pills actually did anything before, but Deel was certainly acting out more. What was she going to do with him? It was tempting to just leave him, but was that a smart choice?
"Just like a child," she muttered.
"I am a child!" He burst out suddenly, facing her. Then he began to talk in a rush.
"I left the Third Ring. I never grew up. I left... I never saw the killings. I don't even know what happened to my clan."
Pinti gaped her mouth open and blinked. "I..." She cocked her head, "don't understand."
Deel bit his lip and nodded slowly as if in defeat. He muttered something and took a deep breath, then he wiped his eyes with his t-shirt.
"My mother was a Shamala and leader," he began in a quiet voice. "She thought I should take early responsibility because I wanted it a lot. So, I became Shaman at ten, but I ran away because it wasn't fun anymore. Humans helped me for a while and they were really nice, but then there was an accident and Galag saved me. And I never grew up." A smirk crept up on his lips. "I can still make my mark glow, but I don't have Kathula magick. Never developed it. And the massacre," He paused, "I never really became their Shaman, so their deaths aren't my burden. Still, it sounded like a good idea to save Kathula."
His tone sounded as if he were reciting something he memorized. Besides, nothing made sense. It was impossible to run away. Edglings watched their every move. And how could he say that the massacre wasn't his burden?
Then she realized it. His story was in contrast with hers. Pinti didn't tell her full story from start to finish to many Kathula survivors, but it wasn't strange for word to travel. When she was younger, she didn't want to be Shamala. Deel, apparently, did want to be Shaman. When she grew older, she realized the value, but Deel ran away instead. She never thought of running away and when she did leave, Humans were rarely kind to her. And here Deel claimed they were nice.
And the massacre is every Kathula's burden. We all share that memory and we all remember those who were lost.
Pinti bristled at his lies. How could someone be so disregarding of the pain of others?
"I can't believe you." She growled, but he didn't get the hint.
"It's the truth! It's been twelve years since I knew Galag. And, shut up, I trust him. I don't think he would ever lie. I'm not taking off the necklace to climb the tree. And you're too loud!"
He stretched his arms up over his head and yawned. "Stop being so uptight and let's take a nap here. Kitties like naps, right?"
She ignored him. It all made sense now. The way he acted, the way he never seemed to take things seriously, and the way he seemed to be oblivious to danger was all part of his game.
Otherwise, wouldn't he lament over Lalina's and Galag's deaths a little more? He'd known them for longer than I have. Pinti lifted her head. He was grinning. Despite the situation, he was still going to act like that. But one thing didn't add up—the necklace. Why did he bother to even wear it? He would just be the same idiot but in Kathula form.
"So why can't you take off the necklace? Tell me the truth," she said knowing his answer was just going to be ridiculous nonsense anyway and not the truth, but it was worth a try. Maybe giving him a chance was all he needed. Maybe now he would blurt out all the secrets he hid and tell her what actually happened with him and his clan.
But she was wrong.
"I can't take it off or he'll take over." Deel held onto the necklace with both hands as if guarding it. "And this time, maybe for good. He's gotten stronger! And all of that back there is his fault."
"Him, huh?" Pinti scoffed and he nodded. She was shocked to say the least at how far he was willing to go with this. She gave him a chance, but he would rather lie and blame everything on his imaginary friend.
Not his burden? It's like he doesn't care. So, what's the point? Enough was enough. She turned her back and gripped the bark with both paws, hoisting herself up.
"Wait!" Deel shouted, "No, you shut up. I'm the one in charge here. Pinti, we can't go that way."
Pinti perched on a wide branch. She stared down at him like he was prey. "There is no more 'we'." She growled. "You don't care about Kathula, not one bit! You just care about yourself and your stupid act! Pfft!" She bristled and bared her fangs at him, anger exploding in her chest.
"I... didn't mean it like that. I do care." He choked on his words and began to cry. She ignored him and his antics. No more was she going to tolerate him.
"You're on your own, Deel."
Without looking back, she propelled herself up the tree, reaching the top in seconds. Deel was still calling to her from below. It was only then she realized he had the Scepter of Tamido book. But she didn't want to go back and get it. Besides, she still remembered what it said about the scepter.
Turning away, she found a path leading into a forest of short trees with feathery leaves. Her chest filled with a sudden sense of dread realizing she would be alone in a strange place. Shaking it off, she burst into a run through the forest, keeping straight. She just wanted to get away from Deel.
The road split into four. Choosing a road at random, she ran off through the forest focusing on the task at paw—find Thereanbold and then the scepter. Those were the only things that mattered, and she was determined not to fail her clan or her father again.
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Note: "A nutty, milky, and sweet scent hung loosely in the air." If you wondered what that describes, it's coconut ;)