2 Volume 0 - The Cavern #2

Grace young ling continued its focus before me, and I was unsure of its feelings. I shifted my movement at both direction, to notice that it was trying to follow, but could not. Not because of the size of the pond, but because it was paralyzed.

"Arrrooo!!" it hummed coursely, akin to that of an injured whale. "If he wasn't so ill, he would've seen you as a play mate..." Her melancholy tone, and the brief loss of control struck me heavily as these words were leaving her.

I looked back to her, to see that she has already left the waters, slithering unto soil towards us. She leaned to snuggle her precious young ling, that of a sweet embrace. Altering between several spectrum of emotions.

"I have met the behemoth, the leviathan, and the ziz. They were highly intelligent creatures, the peak of the chain. Yet I have never seen of them the emotions I am seeing expressed now." How nothing is said about these creatures in all literature I have read, confuses me. [How did they keep themselves so hidden?]

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Several days ago... It was the season of new births for the fresh souls of Athanconger's to be formed into existence. Grace's young ling was borne amongst this batch. Her instinct made sure that she was more than equipped to take care of her newly formed kin.

Everything was going fine. Until this youngster happens to mingled unto the path of a crab. Immediately he became playful to this this creature. The caution this crab showed, and it's constant act of threat towards the young ling, did nothing but entertained it, and Grace at first paid no mind to this.

The youngster would continue to pester the crab everywhere it went, but the moment Grace began to sense that her young ling might venture out of the border, the protective firmament of their progenitors.a psychic clog struck her.

They have not enacted an expansion in territory in some time, nor have they carried over protection to said Territory, especially since the last boom of their habitation. Though rare, they would experience psychic clogs, where each of their minds would mangle of overuse of thoughts, and opinions, especially so when they are overzealously happy, or brazenly social, and this affect the adults more than the younger kins of lower stages, placing them within a trance like state, and an unmoving position.

The moment she regained her sense of self, she began looking for him frantically. By that time he was already far out of the border, easily slipping past the patrols who were also in a trance.

Persistent, the pup will not relent on the crab's suffering, even when it amputates both of its arms thinking that it would deter the youngster from it, that merely nudged it's sacrifice, playing them off as if they were tricks, before once again placing his attention towards it.

It was only when the crab took notice of a hole, it didn't waste further time to enter it. The youngster would try and fail to enter it, being three times its size, and was unable to coax it out.

Saddened, he began to turn back...only to steer at the vast nothingness besides sand, and rocks around it.

"ARRROOO!" he cried, "AARROO!!" he cried again, and kepted crying over, and over again, for he was lost, wanting his mother to come to his rescue.

Alone, and confused, he was frightened and began to stress, though he began to wander, not knowing where to go.

Cries after cries, wander after wander, and there is nothing else seen but rocks, and sand. No other living entity but itself was around these waters, though that was it for him.

At one point he got so tired that he could no longer vow his cries, nor could he have kept swimming, faltering on the bed of the sand as though it was his last breath. Like that he stayed, forced to wait that several minutes which flowed past him.

"waaoaoooooo" a loud hum was heard from a far unknown distance. "waaoaoooooo" the loud hum echoed again, and this time some life re-entred the youngster, as he knew this well. It was his fellow Athanconger's looking for him from the distance. It unfortunate that he no longer had the strength to help his cause.

No longer afar, something anew began to creep. A pitch black tendril of spotted illumination, uncloaked itself from the dark cliffs, where the young Athanconger youngster was unaware that he laid near its proximity.

Its reach appeared to have no end, continuing its ascension, and was creeping closer, and closer to the young ling that ignored to draw his last breath by the sheer of his will.

Once it reached its prey "SHHiEEE?!" it strucked the young Athanconger, by the hem of his tail, causing him to attain new strength to voice his unbearable pain, and it was so loud, that his family which was nearby has heard him.

Still, he couldn't have done anything, and the length of time the tendrils took to reach him, repeated in its action to take him, providing more time for Grace, and the Athanconger's patrol to get there.

"waaoa?" Grace was greatly puzzled, whilst greatly angered, as seeing her fainting young ling as he was drawing his last breath, and seeing him being taken before her very eye's, gave her no time to think, as she began to concentrate her psychic energy, forming it into the shape of a handleless blade, then proceeded to project it downward with great speed.

The attack struct the tendril, rendering it in half, and even though it continued to retreat, it had not done so in haste, nor any expression of pain was expressed, and the piece of tendril that was latched unto the young lings tail, began to disintegrate without a trace, with no mark left on him when Grace, and the Patrol's got to him.

Grace was at first greatly stressed, as she continued nudging her youngling, and sharing her lifespan to keep him in the realm of the living, before taking him back to the cavern.

Her young ling would regain consciousness a few days later, but he couldn't move. The elder Athanconger said that his flesh was tampered with, and in a continuous state of decomposition, and regeneration, both due to the effect of both the tendril, and the stone beds of their progenitors.

Wanting a solution, the elder of the Athanconger told grace that in order to save her kin, she must venture to the surface, and look for a certain man that would surely help her.

Grace was blessed, and ventured out of the depth and to the surface alone, by herself where nothing took notice of her, not even the Leviathan that she herself was convinced would devour her, but continued on her way when she noticed that it would not.

I was amongst the water fishing on my raft, when she suddenly appeared in front of me. I was shocked, but at the same time mystified looking upon her, and hearing her distress, I wasted no time being under her guidance.

Now I looked upon these two, and I know what must be done. "Do you truly trust me?" I asked as if I already have, just to be sure there will be no obstruction within this operation.

"Our elder had not known you, yet he trusted you. I will not go against his words, nor will I do the same to you!" She gave me her assurance, thus I had her separated from the youngster.

As I was once again peered untoo the youngster's eyes, my eyes glint, forcing him into deep slumber. I unpacked my equipments, and began separating the flesh of the tail, and carefully to his spine.

The energy coursing through my hands made him stay in comfort. And through my eyes I can see his every taint, where I would apply the ointment from my vial, and rub it unto these flesh with my herbs.

I stayed upon hours, carefully dissecting, and healing these flesh, even down to the organs, as I bathe, and cleanse him of every taint, with Grace becoming gradually relieved as she observed by her corner.

Every flesh properly cleansed, and resealed. "It is done!" And I stood, trying not to be swayed by the pride of my success.

"Thank you...you have not only saved my precious kin, but relieved the pain within my heart, and those of my brothers, and sisters." She expressed in a bow. "He would be in this rest for several days, and he would be able to play, and be in joy as he used to." I said to her as I pet the sleeping figure, ashamed that I hadn't thought as much as to bring my camera...

"Then in the meanwhile we wait. I would like to take you to our Elder first, as I'm sure that you would like to have an discussion with him first before my brothers, and sisters..." And with that I agree, and once again she guided, and introduced me to her elder, and fellow brothers and sisters.