Thicker Than Blood: Part Two

by shadowphoenix

Arrival
Thrashing desperately in the icy lake and running out of breath, Silverwatcher began to reflect in what she knew were her last moments. Frost began to form on her damp fur, and she even felt her throat begin to freeze over. Silverwatcher tried to scream out but could not, and was only met with sharp pangs of chill in her throat. Her body began to drag into the water as she struggled to stay surfaced, becoming more and more fatigued. Seeing a still piece of ice, Silverwatcher grasped for it but slipped. It bucked, and slammed hard into her left shoulder. She howled in pain, and quickly slid under the surface.

At first, her body seemed as if it were so cold that it froze in time, but soon she was dropping steadily into the lake. Silence. The light was retreating as if defeated in its battle against the water’s surface. It grew darker around her, but she had little concern. Silverwatcher was in fact so far toward unconsciousness that she did not notice the forceful rush of water flowing past her. The next rush did stir her attention, and she turned to notice a practically invisible but nonetheless impressively large form moving at her with incredible speed. She tried to pull some looming bit of energy from within her, to move herself from its path; however, she had none. Silverwatcher’s body went limp, and her mind gave in to the cold. Her eyes closed, and she slipped into unconsciousness just as the form collided into her with shattering force…

“How…how can I handle this? I can’t tell the others. I’m the one who insisted that David take my sister in with me. He had doubts, but I vouched for her integrity, so…I can’t…I can’t pull out now.” SunTalon stood to enter the kitchen for water as David burst through the front door. His eyes were frantic, and SunTalon could see that there was no room for humor, pity, or that veal pasta dish that David loved so much. Only assistance.

“She’s not here, is she?” David panted, and he abruptly went about searching the rooms for those who he knew were not present. “ShadowPhoenix…Sha…” SunTalon realized that he was not being heard; even if he was, he wasn’t sure he really wanted what he had to say to be heard. David caught the scent of SunTalon’s flesh and spun as if tapped by some unseen prankster.

“You! SunTalon, help me find Silver and your sister!”

“I…I know wh-”

“You know where they are!?!” David interrupted with such urgency that SunTalon wanted to turn away, just to avoid absorbing David’s distress.

“I know where my sister is.” SunTalon felt the words curdle in his throat as he said them. He had no idea where his sister was, really. He’d only seen a shell of her form. At least, that’s what he’d like to believe.

“Then take me! Please, let’s go!” David turned and bounded to the door, but quickly noticed that he traveled alone. “What is it?” He began to calm down as he noticed the great concern in SunTalon’s face.

“I…” SunTalon began, and tears welled to his eyes. “I don’t think she wants to come home, Shadow. I think…she’s found her home…”

The two bodies spun about and danced in a graceful bout before jetting swiftly towards the surface. Light returned from its most shameful retreat, and the pressure of the water gave way to their ascent. Within a moment after, the surface broke and this large mangle of fur and flesh catapulted through the air and squarely onto solid ice. This rush of cold was refreshing, if not horrifyingly stark, to the Kougra. She opened her eyes and blinked dully, then turned her sight to the east. Though it was still dark, the sun had risen farther, which made it not so dark as it was before. Silverwatcher only hoped this taste of sweet sun would be enough to fend off the on-looking beasts in the nearby forest. Her mind wandered a bit, but was pulled back when she noticed a heavy breathing and movement behind her. Quickly, she spun on her heels to face her companion.

“Who is…Aah!” Silverwatcher smiled and threw her arms around the fairly large, Capricornian creature. “Narcissus! You found me? H-how?”

“No matter,” he interrupted coldly. “We must leave.”

“But weren’t you…”

“I was not looking for you! We crossed paths, but good we did, unless you’re going to keep up the talking.” Silverwatcher stumbled back, put off by his unusually icy reprieve. He snatched her up into his mouth and dived back into the icy lake. When she climbed onto his back and settled herself, she then understood his anxiety. Following behind in close pursuit was something large, and oily black. It was about two bus lengths, had three dorsal fins that seemed metallic and sharp, and…it had no eyes. Most of all, this horrible mutation (for that’s what she assumed it was; a mutation) seemed to have spawned from Death, or worse.

“What is- Ahh!!” Narcissus leapt through the air over a large boulder, and touched down on thin ice, then falling through to continue his surging race through the water. Silverwatcher turned behind, and noticed that the monster was no more than fifty feet away. She turned to inform Narcissus of his lag, but when she climbed up toward his face she slipped down his back and onto his madly thrashing tail. She was being forced under the surface by Narcissus’ forceful blows. Unable to scream, she tried to hold on with all her might, but could not get a tight grip on his wet, leathery skin. Silverwatcher continued to slide, slowly toward the jaws of the following wraith. Its teeth gnashed at her ankles, and only the frozen water kept her from grinding her teeth in pain. It was slicing her back paws, and she knew that it would soon engulf her. Flashes of red filled her eye as both she and her friend were slashed mercilessly. Her from the teeth of Evil, and He from the teeth of ice. There blood darkened the water and Narcissus knew he could not hold up his already failing pace. Then, without hesitation and in drastic desperation, Narcissus took them both to the last place Silverwatcher ever wanted to see again. He stopped short in his path and immediately…he dived straight into the bloody depths of the lake beneath them…

“She isn’t returning? What made you believe that?” David’s face was dripping with concern, and SunTalon was apt to change the subject.

“Well…maybe I’m wrong. Just sit and calm down, and warm up before you catch Sneezles. You know Silva ate all the Magic cook_”

“You don’t know where they are, either?” David cut SunTalon off mid-sentence at the mention of Silverwatcher. SunTalon shook his head sadly, and continued on to the kitchen for that glass of water, which he needed much more so now than before. SunTalon reached the refrigerator and glanced to his left, out of the window above the sink. He noticed a dark mist slowly settling on the hill, near the icy lake a few yards from where they lived. A long and jagged tear broke the frozen surface of the lake. But what struck SunTalon as odd was not the tear, nor the black mist (neither of which are common in the area). He was curiously drawn to how the water within the tear was acting. It splashed in little waves, as if some small Chia child were patting his hands gaily on the surface. He thought, just for a slight moment, that he’d caught a glance of his friend Narcissus beneath the water. Just for a moment, though, and SunTalon returned to the living room with two glasses of water…

The shock of returning into the water was a forceful event for Silverwatcher, whom then lost her hold of Narcissus’ tail. She spiraled backward toward what she assumed was the door to oblivion, and instead fell against a flexible but sturdy surface. She slid down the spherical form, and back into Narcissus’ tail. Silverwatcher spanned her eyes around her and noticed a clear sparkling shell around their bodies.

“Bubble shield…why didn’t you…?” Silverwatcher’s voice trailed off, for she noticed Narcissus’ great concentration and decided to let him be. Silverwatcher saw no sign of the massive Jetsam ghoul that had pursued them before, but she knew that a water beast such as himself could not be shaken so easily. It was either watching them for a chance to strike, or its attention was drawn by something else. She hoped for the latter.

“Are you okay?” Narcissus asked as he weakened his concentration on the shield. A clear, glimmering matter, like liquid gas, flowed throughout the bubble shield from the Peophin’s skin. Both their wounds began to glow, then seal up. Heal.

“Yes.” Silverwatcher lied. She was shaking in spite of her returning warmth, and Narcissus wrapped her around with his tail.

“Then I can ask questions.” Silverwatcher had thought to herself that it should be time for her to ask questions.

“Sure.”

“Then please,” began Narcissus, “tell me what you were doing alone out here?”

“I was following Shadow, looking for Sundial.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” Silverwatcher herself had noticed how wavering her voice was when she had responded to Narcissus. She wasn’t sure at all. She wasn’t sure why she got lost so quickly, or why she left that house, or…most of all, what that creature was that was so intent on introducing them to its belly. “Can we go home now? I have a few questions for you.”

“Sure, we’re heading there now. What kind of questions?” Narcissus glanced behind himself, and found that the Kougra had already fallen asleep. Narcissus sighed to himself, and rocked Silverwatcher with his tail.

“Sleep, little one. You deserve it. Aah, if you only knew what has arrived here. I know you can care for yourself, but…you have to know it, too.” Narcissus faded his last words as something on the shelf bellow him drew his attention. He dove for it, and it began to shine with vigor as he got nearer. He soon realized what this luminescent rarity was. It was a Coral Orb, the heartthrob of the sea (or so, that’s what it is known as by all the Peophins). It had qualities similar to quartz; only it needed no outside power to glow. It also strengthens any water creature lucky enough to find one. He grabbed the pearl-sized orb, hid it in his jaw, and returned to his course home.

Out of the shadows of the underwater shelf, a fin fluttered, and a jagged row of seemingly thousands of teeth gleamed in the dim afterglow of the surface sunlight. The looming form of the large Jetsam mutation slowly lurched through the water towards Narcissus and Silverwatcher, towards the tower, towards their home…

To be continued...