Arwa

12- Red Noise

God, the warmth, the heat, the shear brightness of the flames filled the two of us up. It was a masterpiece.

I watch the flame flicker a little, the smoke twisting up and around in swirling movements as I take a breath in through my nose, savouring the sultry feeling. Then I just stare into the flame. The whiteness, the redness.

Red Fire. Burning fire.

No.
I'm fine. Just stop. Let me enjoy this. Just for once let me enjoy something without this red, without this doubt, without these... voices.

"How are you able to light that? And keep it flaming? It's pouring it down!" Chimaera was now smiling at me, we were both dryer and warmer sitting under the trees with some body of heat to dry us. I respected how Chimaera always smiled in an uncertain situation. He did it all the time. Maybe that was just his way of coping.
"Ya know that liquids I put on in it? Yeah, it's really, really 'flamble' if that's right word. Haha, we're pretty lucky to 'ave gotten that ol' basket huh?"

I pull out the bread and toasted it in the flame, topping it with the honey and fruit. I was pretty proud of that.

I know I should of rationed it, but right now I think we both needed a boost. As well as that, it seemed revolutionary for Chimaera having and even seeing toast, he mustn't of never had it before.

We eat that and then we get up, squeezing the water from our clothes before walking forwards, staring at what we guessed was the sun, just now peeking over the hills.

If The Core was south, behind us, the cave was east and the reservoir was northwest, the best place to go was west. Chimaera told me that the old, cavernous and quite desolate place that was the 'Mynx Necropolis' as he called it were north, then west was told to have more open space as well as being near mountains and a Great Lake over two times the size of the reservoir. It also seemed that Chimaera didn't want to reminisce about what could of been his old home so we crossed out north as an option.

So we set off, a small amount of adrenaline through our veins, ready to journey along parts of New Terra I never knew existed before. We had found some food on the way by having a detour to the reservoir, using my old hammer that I stole from that lab when I had found washed up in a puddle.

The next day in the afternoon, we landed on three huge craters. They span all around, the woodland parting it's way and just leaving the empty brown ground and the craters. Chimaera had ran up to them and sat in the middle of the smallest one, even though it was small Chimaera looked tiny in it. He looked around, grinning as usual,"Do ya know what these are huh?" I came up to what I guessed was the biggest one and traced my hand around some of the rim,
"Well I can see that they're craters yeah..."

Inside of em were these tiny little crystals. Some further away looked more blue coloured, while the ones nearer to us were green. I picked one of the green crystals up, something about it didn't seem right. The inside seemed all infected I guess. Infected wasn't the right word, the red crystals seemed to be corrupted.

But somehow there was some familiarity to this greenness, even still, I dropped it down and didn't wanna pick it up again.

Chimaera took off his bag and swigged some water,
"Called the Three Comets, what some people guess was the only good thing bout the War, the crashin' Mynx ships." Wait a second, if I just listened correctly, this place was where the Mynx crash landed. This was the start of the revolution, the 'New Era of Mankind'
"Let me get this straight, you're saying that this is where your ancestors crash landed when you first arrived here?" Chimaera nodded,
"Yup. Ya can see coz o' those crystals." Chimaera pushed himself up and took one of the crystals in his hand, gripping it tightly. He laughed,"Hey hey! Watch this!"

He swooshed his hand through the air as fire emitted out his hands like a ribbon before he dropped the flaming crystal, stood on it and then shook his hand muttering under his breath, shaking his hand off.
"Whoa!" I ran up to where he was and looked at the singed green crystal,"How- how is that even possible?" Chimaera grinned,
"Uses them as jet engines I think. It was our 'fool source or summing, whatever you calls it. Like how humans used to use that wet ground oil stuff and before that you guys used those old black rock thingies." I thought hard, it had been hundreds of years ago since then,
"Called coal I think. And the wet stuff was oil y'right..." Chimaera nodded, still staring at the crystals in the crater,
"Yeah yeah. We used those crystals for 'fool right just like your coal but then it all just broke and boom! Guess they shattered or somethin' I dunno know." He squinted down, his legs slowly bending into a crouch as his hooves clicked,"But never knew they could turn green..."

He looked at me slowly,"Is it just me or do you feel somethin'..." he didn't find the right word. I finished it for him, maybe this feeling wasn't just me,
"...Off?" He nodded sceptically,
"Yeah..."

He hopped down enthusiastically,"Haha, ah well. Prolly just ya atomosophere," I laughed at him, he was so funny
"You mean atmosphere?" He nodded solemnly,
"Thas' what I said! Atmotosphere!" I just began to laugh harder now, I looked at his face and he seemed so annoyed. I couldn't help myself,
"At-mos-phere!" He growled stomping his hoof, but because he was so small it just made him look like a child,
"AH'M SAYIN' THAT! ATAMOSPHERE!" I was on the floor now, I suspect I was probably cackling.
"That- that- hahahaha, that's close enough HA!" He stopped, I calmed down. And even though he was annoyed he smiled a little,
"Never heard you laugh. Gotta a great laugh y'know?"

I got back up and smiled back at him. I wish he could see me smile. I wonder what I look like to him. I bet he doesn't even know when I'm smiling or not. I don't feel happy no more now.

Luckily, Chimaera changed the subject from his humiliation and I tried to focus on the now.
"Anyways, changing that subject quickly now: ya see that river there huh?" He pointed forwards. "Just gotta cross it and we'll be in a nicer new forest. Mights be able to find somewhere that 'dunt flood too much eh?"

So we trekked along once more. We were able to hop across a river rather than swim, and then as time went by and the sun began to set, we were deep in forest, this one was much more dense and much more bushy than the last. The forest we were in before was more taller, the trees stretched up high but there wasn't much foliage on the ground. This forest was rocky, mossy and packed tight with all kinds of trees as well as things like free rushing ground water and twisted roots.

Something still felt off, a different off than those crystals. I knew that this forest was home to lots of other creatures, but the one we were in before seemed calmer. Even though this new wood we were in was almost completely silent save the odd rustle or screech of birds.

There was something off-putting about having this silent woodland feel so full, it seemed like it was even getting to Chimaera as well. We got to an opening where we slowed down and took in the place. But those voices...

Watching. Eyes. Red eyes watching.

This time it didn't seem aggressive. It sounded like whispers coming from all around. Trying to help me. My vision started to beat and blur as I turned to Chimaera, everything slowing down everything blurring to only colour...his red eyes... red...
He looked at me and then at the hammer in my hand, all of his eight red eyes open...
There was a rustling... we both turned...

And then I snapped back everything burning at a million miles an hour I was on my back, I had been pushed back, the hammer was back in my belt, Chimaera was yelling not at me, not at me.

He was yelling at the giant Mynx Guardian standing over me, weapon in hand.