WARNING!! -- this is very old and shall never be updated, enjoy if you want anyways ^-^
- Created By itsumademo
Tewoeklon: Chapter Two
The slightly more rapid beat of my heart rang deeply in my ears the farther down I swam in the clear, temped ocean water. The various reefs that decorated myriad levels of the sporadic ocean floors gleamed with gentle numerous colors from the sun’s rays piercing the surface of the water.
Fish swam fearlessly around me while I gracefully pumped myself deeper.
Elves are often referred to as ‘Those of the Earth’ meaning they seem to have an unseen connection with all life, however they are also one of the most dangerous creatures to exist. Although I’m part human, animals and plants have still seemed to like me as much as Syren and Menya; well… with the exception of birch trees and ants, I really have no idea why they don’t like me.
Regardless, it’s nice and calming but the fish keep getting in my face.
I suddenly felt a gentle hand take hold of my shoulder and stop my pace; Syren looked into my eyes, and then gestured slowly, due to the weightless feel of the water toward a dark cave-like structure hidden within a barren rock.
I nodded and followed the two into the murky cavern. All our unique colored eyes glowed in the blackness; it was something I enjoyed about being part elf. I would often freak out Kcara and Kayne when we used to play in the dark.
The bottom floor of the cave was littered with fish bones and several forms of algae and seaweed. Despite my lack of smell, the water seemed to have a heavy rotten feel to it.
I felt my body cringe.
Menya’s bubbly personality was now gone as she continued surveying the floor and walls ahead of me. I rarely had her so serious and level minded, it concerned me more than interested me.
Suddenly strong vibrations pulsed through the waters. We all stopped abruptly.
Menya’s bright pink colored eyes turned toward Syren and I; she gestured something I didn’t understand. I looked at Syren with a questioning look on my face, she took hold of my shoulder and pulled me away; Menya was right behind us.
Syren stopped us then turned me toward her. She started forming things with her hand, it looked like sign language. Damn I don’t really know that much, I should have learned more before I left the island.
She made slow, easy motions while looking directly at me. I furrowed my brow as I watched her.
…uh…D-a-n-…I don’t know that one…e-umm, I don’t know that one either. Dan_e_???
I shook my head once and then looked directly at her. Our gold and green eyes reflected on the walls.
The water reverberated again, Syren quickly pointed down into the cave where we had been, then formed the word again with her hands. D-a-n_e_! Her movements were becoming more adamant. She pointed again. D-A-N_E_!!!!! She tried mouthing the word.
Menya grabbed both our arms and pulled us against the wall. I was so confused, I had no idea what was going on. I tried asking Syren but she put her hand over my mouth exceptionally fast despite the water.
Another vibration shook us; a few shards of rock slowly fell from the walls. From the corner of my eye I saw both Menya and Syren slide two small hidden daggers from their sides; they both looked at me. I removed my own and looked to the abyss as another more forceful pounding came.
Two sharply clawed hands appeared from the darkness and took hold of the rock shaking the cave and waters. The fish-like face of a Zorre came next; its rotten teeth were grinding together and the large scared flaps of its gills opened and closed as it breathed the vile, salted waters of the cavern.
Menya gesticulated strangely at Syren again and then started counting down from five on her hand. Syren looked to me and quickly thrust her daggers upward along her body then pointed at the Zorre as it began to move again.
This I understood and I nodded. The Zorre slowly pushed its clawed hands forward, causing it to land directly above us. Immediately as the nails dug into the rock Menya’s fingers reached one and we all in sync thrust our daggers up into the arm of the Zorre faster than the eye could see. Though I think I may have been a little slower than Menya and Syren were; I’m still woefully untrained in underwater combat.
The Zorre screamed, however we only felt its pain as the entire cave shook and rock from the claws fell. A green-brown like blood spread through the water. All three of us swiftly moved from our previous position and again went to stab the Zorre’s other arm with hopes of disabling it faster. However when we reached the spot the arm and its clawed hand were gone.
Abruptly I sensed the claws coming down on us and I strongly grasped Syren and Menya’s arms, pulling them away as the ground of the cave broke into bits of rock and dust. They both nodded in gratitude and we again leapt up and swam forward with our daggers before us.
We managed to pierce one of its eyes when it lunged its rotten, blood stained razor-like teeth for us.
I felt a sharp tooth puncture a line across the right side of my collar bone to my right shoulder. I didn’t notice the initial pain of the wound until the putrid salt water reached the gash. Thick red blood tinted with brown began seeping into the water around me.
Four arms pulled me back from the Zorre so fast I lost sense of where I was. Syren and Menya stared down at me in panic, their bright eyes illuminated the cut as blood continued to flow out of me. I felt my heart slow to that of a normal human, too slow for an elf, and continue to slow its beat. The water started to feel heavier, I knew the wound wasn’t critical but I have already been deprived of oxygen for nearly an hour now.
From what I remember elves can heal themselves much quicker with oxygen flowing through their system, I had barely learned how to do it and I know there are other ways but I couldn’t…I couldn’t seem to remember them.
There looked to be a red-brown fog before my eyes and a faint pulse shaking the floor I had been set on. Syren and Menya communicated through those strange gestures I didn’t understand, both were moving so rapidly I didn’t see how even they could understand.
They both looked to the Zorre which was thrashing about angrily at the loss of its eye and left arm. Syren looked to Menya than pointed to the Zorre and handed her one of her daggers. Menya nodded and left, my left side was now somewhat…colder. I think.
Syren didn’t even watch her go; she immediately grabbed something beside me and started waving her other hand around in the water above me. Then she wove her two hands together holding something in each and then she started rubbing it into my wound.
I wanted to scream so much but I couldn’t risk releasing the little oxygen and carbon dioxide I had kept within me to stay breathing and alive.
Whatever she did it burned. The pain from the wound and the horrible stinging that came from the stuff she was using kept me from recognizing the substance and what is was made of. Usually being hypersensitive is a very useful part of having elfin blood, but when you get wounded it only intensifies everything. And why, people wonder, do we work so hard to avoid becoming injured, it’s the reason we learn to be as skilled in combat as we are. It’s what makes us so deadly. Well, them.
Everything in me started shutting down and trying to ignore the pain. At least that’s what it felt like.
Syren’s hands were still working the substance into the gash, harder and faster. Her eyes looked concentrated when I saw them.
My body started convulsing; I thrashed my arms around and tried ripping my fingernails into the wound. I have never felt such a thing before, a combination of pain and itch, as though something were eating me alive. I felt like I was on fire.
Syren’s hands pushed me down and kept my arms away as best as she could while continuing to rub into the abrasion. The cavern erupted again and large rocks fell from the ceiling directly above us. Syren ignored them and continued to work on me.
Adrenaline started flowing into my veins and the sensation driving me mad was finally ceasing.
Just before Syren was finished, I saw Menya fly back from where the Zorre was and spin gracefully, her feet landing on the wall behind me and pushing off right back to the battle. I wanted to do that. To go back.
I laid my hand on Syren’s and looked into her eyes, smiling. She nodded with relief and handed me my daggers.
We stood together and rushed toward the Zorre just as Menya managed to remove two clawed fingers with ease. I placed my hands on Menya’s shoulders and forced myself through the water and onto the head of the Zorre. Water resistant mucus covered its scaly skin and caused me to lose traction and fall along its back until I jammed one of my daggers through its second spine. I pushed it in more until I severed the vertebrae and clawed myself up to stand on the dagger protruding halfway through the Zorre.
I grabbed my other one and began hacking away at the skin layered thickly over the soft skull. Syren and Menya were trying to incapacitate the Zorre’s other arm and incidentally sliced through its remaining eye. Its green blood tainted all the water in the cavern and mixed slightly with my leftover red-brown blood, creating a sort of mist.
The water became harder to move through, even with our advanced abilities and strength. Plus every cut I made on the creature released mucus into my field of vision and slowed my movements. It was so thick I felt I could taste the horrid waters we were fighting in.
Syren got a solid slice into its arm and the force of the vibrations the Zorre caused nearly knocked me off its back, instead I rammed my dagger into the scrapped patch of skin I made on its head. The skull cracked like an egg beneath my strength and force, but the pain made it to the Zorre before I could remove myself from its back and it began shaking and screaming. The pulse knocked me backward and I drifted quickly onto the stone covered floor.
Syren and Menya must have still been fighting and didn’t realize I had lost my footing and fallen because the Zorre began tipping backward.
I tried to move but due to the pulsations I couldn’t seem to get balanced. I was helpless as the Zorre came crashing down onto me. The many rocks that had been knocked from the walls kept it from totally crushing me, but I felt two ribs crack and a foreign, uncomfortable pain coming quickly from my abdomen.
I saw Syren stare at me in disbelief, then pull at Menya to help drag the dead thing off of me. I helped some by lifting what little I could while they yanked at the body; adrenaline still rushing threw me lessened the pain of my new injuries.
After we managed to remove the deceased Zorre, I saw what had been bothering me. The blow had been so strong that when the Zorre fell backward the pommel of the dagger I had in the back of the creature had gone straight through me, directly above my naval.
It was a strange sight, having the pointed side of a weapon jutted out of the body rather than the handle. I wanted to laugh as blood began flooding up my throat and pooling in my mouth.
Syren and Menya didn’t seem to think it was so funny, especially when I stood up and took hold of my end of the Zorre as though the blade lodged within me was nothing at all. They seemed to understand though and grabbed onto the body as well; we pulled it out of the cave and headed for the surface.
I swam faster than either of them; my need for air was more pressing due to the injuries I sustained. Once my head breached the surface I gasped so hard I forgot about the mass amount of blood that dwelled in my throat and mouth. Rather than gasping oxygen I inhaled blood and salt water, but instead of coughing I took another breath filling my lungs with a potent mixture. With oxygen, I stopped my breaths as though I were still underwater and helped pull up the gigantic Zorre.
Once we had gotten the dead creature on board Syren and Menya helped pull me out of the water. Everyone stopped working and stared. I had several small cuts and punctures covering my entire body, the healing abrasion on my chest, and worst yet the pommel and entire handle within my gut with only the green blood covered steel showing.
Kayne and my father stepped toward me, and I’m not sure but I think I had a smile on my face. Kayne reached his hand out to me though Menya and Syren kept him away. They seemed strangely protective of me from my own family and friends. Kayne said something; his face appeared incredibly shocked and concerned. I opened my mouth to answer but instead of words I hacked up the blood and salt mixture that had festered in my lungs. Syren caught me before I hit the deck and pulled me into her arms, holding me close to her body like a feral mother lion protecting her cubs. Kayne had gone to catch me after I coughed blood all over him and my father, but Menya stopped him. I saw him fighting back, yelling at her but she didn’t move at all.
Then I closed my eyes.
“Noir? Are you with me?” I blinked several times as my name echoed in my ears.
I mumbled something incoherent and shielded my eyes from the light surrounding me.
“Noir? Noir, you’re awake open your eyes.” The woman speaking to me moved my arm away from my face.
I slowly pulled open my eyes and squinted from the sun’s rays to look at the person speaking to me. Syren’s golden eyes stared down at me gently.
“Syren.” I whispered. She smiled, relieved.
“Oh Noir, you should have told me you hadn’t trained or hunted for so long. I would not have taken you.” She lightly pressed her soft lips to my forehead and stroked my loose hair.
I swallowed slowly and pulled myself up. My stomach felt warm and secure, I ran my hand along soft gauze wrapped around my abdomen. I pressed my fingers down where my stab wound had been and closed my eyes. The fabric was elfin, strong and protective the puncture that once existed was nearly gone though there would be a small scar.
“Noir, you’ve been asleep for about a week.”
I opened my eyes. “Wow. Did we at least make sure everyone got fed?”
“Don’t worry about them, we got them food and saved what we needed. That’s all.”
“They are my family, of course I worry.” My voice rose.
“Calm down. I know you care for them, but you need to worry about yourself right now. You must focus all your energy into healing or I’ll have to put you asleep again.”
“Again? I was awake before now?” My brows pulled together in confusion. I didn’t really remember much about returning or anything afterward.
“Four days ago you woke up screaming, roused every sleeping person on board and scared the hell out of the ones keeping watch. Elvish screams are like singing a high note, beautiful but very dangerous to human ears. You continued and began thrashing around in pain, nearly tearing the skin I had finally gotten to take hold on your stomach, so I had to put you to sleep.”
I didn’t remember that at all. I don’t even remember the last time I had made any sounds that could be considered beautiful. The closest would have to be my singing but even that’s not that great. Not even close to what elves can do.
“It’s no big deal, expected even.” Syren shook her head at me.
“I know…I was just thinking.”
“About what?” Syren cocked her head slightly.
“Nothing, I just can’t believe I made any sounds that would be considered beautiful.”
“It’s not that surprising. Between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one an elves body stops aging. In your case you will also most likely acquire some elvish traits or at least any you already have will be increased. It’s something you should be aware of now that you are eighteen.”
I had nothing to say. Everything was already so warped and different I couldn’t seem to grasp that I would be changing even more. I stared down at my bandages.
“Noir, don’t worry about it right now. Rest.”
I nodded though I didn’t really catch what she said. She pulled the light covers over my body and I slide down beneath them, staring up at my ice blue lace hanging from the ceiling.
Although I didn’t really want to, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. My whole body was starting to itch as it struggled to heal itself.
A creak in the floor caused my ear to twitch and arouse me from the small nap I had taken after my initial waking. I opened my eyes to find Kayne hovering over me.
“You’re being very creepy.” I mumbled.
Kayne pulled back some. “Your voice sounds a little different, not much though.”
I blinked in surprise. I had no idea my voice was any different, Syren never mentioned it. Well of course she never mentioned it. I rolled my eyes.
“So why have you snuck in here? How did Syren or Menya not catch you?”
“They’re out in the ocean checking for any unknown ships in the area that may alert the city we’re heading toward.”
“Ah.” I nodded, a small smile curling my lips.
“You’ve healed well; you don’t even look like you were injured at all.”
I laughed.
“Well, I will have a small scar from where that dagger was embedded.” I made a small airy laugh at the memory.
“What?” He grinned.
“Oh nothing, I just…it was the funniest thing. When we got that Zorre off me and I saw what it was that had been bothering me, I wanted to laugh.” I giggled again. “Oh, seeing the blade of that dagger sticking out of my body, it was so bizarre I nearly released my remaining oxygen to laugh at it.”
Kayne didn’t seem to see the humor in it, just like Syren and Menya when they had seen my smiling face down in the cave.
“Noir…you almost died. It wasn’t funny at all.” His face was stern and angry at my reaction.
“Kayne, it’s fine. I knew I would be fine.” I kneeled toward him on my bed.
“No you didn’t Noir, you couldn’t have known that! When you came on board you smiled, like you were so happy and then you cough blood everywhere. Syren and Menya wouldn’t let anyone near you for days, not even your father. We thought you were dead Noir! Dead! It wasn’t funny.” Kayne wasn’t facing me. He body was shaking from the adrenaline.
I slowly stood from the bed and walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my face against his back. I felt his body freeze at the sudden contact, but then he put his hands over mine.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m sorry.” I embraced him tighter, trying to hold on too not only a friend but myself, and who I was no longer going to be able to be anymore.
Then I started to cry.
End
