Where Smoke Bleeds Gold

Chapter Seven- Blackend Claws

The waves flew over Quake cool and quickly. She hadn't a moment to struggle to the surface before the riptide grabbed her stocky tail and pulled her down. She threw out her bruised and chipped talons for a hold but she caught nothing but sand. The water pulled so intensely. She never thought the ocean could have ever been this violent. Sand and salt pulled quickly through the water, wedging themselves between her scales and reopening wounds from her fighting days.
Big black eyes stared up to the surface, but it was already getting dark. Her knees bumped against rocks and shells as she continued through the riptide. Her heart beat in her ears as if it were the last time. A spark of light hit her eyes just before the sand beneath her gave way.
How had Typhoon lived here? Moved through this water? It fought back unlike any dragon had. A constant river of cuts instead of a few blows. She wanted to fight back but the tide was powerful and merciless. Her front talons gripped onto the barren cliff of sharp rocks and gritty sand while her powerful legs hung limp below her. She glanced back, looking sick as nothing but darkness spanned out behind her. She tried to look down, but she saw only the same thing below her. She held on tighter, the water still pulling her back. Her talons ached from the odd position.
The current didn't stop. It never felt like it would stop. Even if it may have stopped if she waited a few more moments, she couldn't climb all the way back up to the surface. She may be able to hold her breath for a pace or two, but this seemed to be impossible to get back to the surface in that time.
The only thing that could help her now was if Typhoon was somehow willing to come down and help her out of the mess she got herself into. Even now, slipping down the cliff in defeat, in undeniable pain, she prayed to Discord to let Typhoon miss her. She thought she had gotten rid of these thoughts, so freely welcoming the presence of Death after Avalanche's talks. Yet she was sinking through the water, watching the rocky cliff fly past as tunnels swept out of her reach. Suddenly something caught her eyes, making her believe just a moment longer. She threw her leg out, catching it just in the nick of time. Moon's first rays were just disappearing. There wasn't much left in her lungs. Typhoon deserved better than this. Someone who cared.
A small tunnel weaved through the cliff. Something glittering behind a wall of moss. It didn't seem natural, whatever it was. Quake grasped the sides of the tunnel with her tender talons as she peered further into the tunnel. What was that glittering just beyond her reach? She reached her arms ahead of her, crawling on her stomach like a rat. Her hips scraped against the walls and algae. The tunnel narrowed, catching her tail against a rock. Abruptly she was stuck, unable to go further and going back meant prying off scales.
No, anything but a death like this. She thought suddenly. She almost began to feel her scales bubble with pain as she imagined herself gasping in water out of panic. Her claws bloodied and broken from scratching the wall without prevail. Nothing she could do but accept pain and wait for the pain to cease.
Quake stretched her cracked talons as far as they could go, trying to calm herself down from the imagery. She tugged and pulled, something sharp ripping all along her leg. She gritted her teeth together, something digging deeper and deeper into her leg until she finally tore free. She choked, her leg spasming as she tried to kick forward. Bubbles floated away from her as she swallowed more water. Her talons held onto the lip of the tunnel. It felt like it opened up, but the glowing plants around her didn't light up enough for her to tell.
She struggled a moment longer before popping out into a small room. She looked around, trying not to cough as the sickening water crept down her throat. Above her were a few pockets of air. She lurched forward, her leg stinging like never before.
She gasped and choked in the old air. Water drained from her nose and mouth like a slowly tipping cauldron. Her blocky tail ached for her to sink but she kept afloat, thrashing waves across the glowing green walls. The dim light barely was bright enough to show a pitch black tunnel that went above the water.
She took another breath, trying to steady herself as she reached out to the platform. Pulling herself up on sore talons, she looked up to the tunnel. A deep humming seemed to echo from it as a pale blue light flickered across the walls.
"He-," She choked, "he," Again. She shook her head, cursing herself for acting so scared. She stood up, limping on her cut leg. "Hello?" She called through the tunnel. It was thin, maybe meant for some creature smaller than her. Typhoon wouldn't have trouble walking through it. As she walked through the tunnel, she noticed steps that couldn't have been eroded. After a bend, she walked into a room with a black pool in the center. The path she stood on spiraled down around the walls until it reached the pool. Little floating lights blinked on and off around the room. Vines stretched down from the ceiling, almost as if reaching out to her. More glowing fungi sat on the walls, but as she walked down the mushrooms seemed to glow brighter the farther down she went.
This place was ominous and serene both at the same time. It felt like the low humming that sent shivers down her spine was a tune from an old friend. Quake now stood at the edge of the black pool, her reflection distorted and blackened. She crouched down, dipping a claw into the inky fluid. It felt oddly warm for the cool room. A bit of her wanted to swim in it to feel warmer. The ocean was so bitterly cold, and this room wasn't much better.
Hello, Said a voice. It sounded like it was in her own head. She stood up suddenly, looking around frantically in the cold room.
"Who's there?" She barked, baring her teeth.
What brought you here? The voice asked. It was impossible to tell what it was. It's accent sounded off. It sounded beautiful to Quake's ears, but she didn't like hearing it.
"I-" She said, turning behind herself, the mushrooms pulsing suddenly stopped. The room almost went dark besides a faint light from the inky pool. Silent all except a low humming. "The water pulled me here," She said, standing up straight.
It must've been fate, The voice said, echoing in only her mind. A tickle filled Quake's nose. She scratched her face but the feeling didn't go away.
"Screw fate," Quake said, big black eyes still searching the room, yet staying frozen still in case the voice was watching her.
Watch what you say, fate is the very thing I live off of, the voice said, watching her eyes dart across the room. Quake stood motionless, her ripped up leg feeling worse for wear after standing on it for so long. What did this voice mean? What did it want?
"How?" She said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Sit, It said. The lights grew brighter as the fungi seemed to stretch upward to the hanging plants. She stayed standing for a few more moments before her legs abruptly collapsed under her. She cursed, but still sat back as if she meant to do just that.
Look into the pool, it will show you your fate, It said, like the words were poison rolling off it's tongue. She surveyed the room one last final time, not quite trusting this voice. She sat on her haunches, leaning forward to the black pool. A stream of blood from her leg dripped into the pool, the black water bubbled as it absorbed the red liquid. Quake's stomach dropped as she saw this, but stayed motionless. She rubbed her snout, feeling the need to sneeze again.
"I don't see anything," Quake said, hoping that it wasn't some cryptic message. The voice stayed silent. Slowly, she brought her face closer to the surface of the pool. Reflections of the fungi swirled below the surface. Slow bubbles popped at the surface. The cool air tickled her spine as she sat in suspense. Snout almost touching the water, she stared deeper into the pool, trying to make sense of anything.
Just as the bubbles stopped, a black shadow with cracked teeth suddenly appeared, jaws leaping up through the water, splashing onto her snout. She stumbled back, wiping the odorless liquid from her face. The pool bubbled and rose and waves lapped at her feet as she slid away from the center of the room. She jumped up, her hurt leg giving way as soon as she put pressure on it.
"Agh!" She growled, backing up onto the wall. All she needed to do was run around the spiralling ramp and out the exit, but would she make it there before she drowned in the black ink? The floating lights seemingly surrounded her face, it made her feel suffocated. Sneezing, she limped up the ramp. The black water bled through the floor, staining the stone red. Quake covered her face with her claws to keep from breathing in the lights and sneezing more.
She stopped at the exit of the cave leaning against the wall, choking on the bright lights that surrounded her face. Her throat was hoarse by the time she caught her breath. Turning around slowly she peered under her arm, afraid of what she might see. The mushroom glowed bright, making her head spin.
The lights were spores from the mushrooms. Just standing behind a curtain of vines was already making the hallucinations slow down. Quake blinked slowly, reaching out to the curtain and pulling the curtain back just enough to see the room return to normal. The fungi grew black, no longer able to glow. The pool at the bottom of the spiralling cave hadn't changed at all.
Quake winced, gritting her teeth and coughing dim glowing spores onto the floors. Hopefully that was it.
"Do you wish to know your fate?" The voice said, catching Quake's attention for the worse.
"No," She mumbled, but she didn't move the curtains back. It was the spores that were making her hear these voices. None of it was real, but she needed to hear more.
"I can tell you you won't die today," The voice said, bringing Quake to take a step forward.
"No," She mumbled, staring at the pool. The humming suddenly stopped, leaving her in absolute silence.
"What's the matter with knowing what will happen if you'll live it any other way?" The voice coaxed, making her take another step. Her feet curled over the edge as she looked below her. It was a straight drop into the pool from where she stood.
"Nothing," Quake spoke involuntarily. She felt the need to drop down into the pool but held back.
Slowly again, the pool bubbled and swirled. Slowly again, a black dragon's head pulled away from the surface. It's scales broke away from it's skin as long bony claws stretched up to Quake. Blackened claws gripped onto the stones. It pulled itself up but the black inky water pulled it's skin and scales back. It screeched in a terrible pained way, it's skull cracking back as its broken teeth pulled back. A red lolling tongue fell back as its skin ripped back to show it's bloody skull. Burn marks covered it's sides and exposed skeleton. The burn marks seared through it's flesh and smoke lifted in the air, the spores no longer visible through the dense smog. Quake finally caught herself as the hot air hit her face.
"No," She muttered, falling back onto the stone wall. She could no longer feel the tunnel out.
"It's beautiful," The voice said, now coming from the melting, oozing dragon pulling itself onto the ledge.
"No!" Quake yelled, throwing her arms back to feel for the tunnel, her arms touching the edge of the tunnel.
"Are you ready to meet the Black Hydra?" The monster of flesh and bones screeched, it's voice hoarse as it crept closer and closer. Instead of replying, Quake booked it, turning to the tunnel beside her. Her leg burned as she stumbled forward. Taking in a deep breath, she splashed through the salty water listening to the fastly approaching footsteps behind her. She smacked her head into the ceiling as she leapt through the watery cave. She thrust herself through the tunnel she hoped was the one she entered through.
NO, She thought as she scratched the walls of the hip wide tunnel. The entire cliff shook as the Black Hydra chased after her. Her head banged. Her throat was dry.
"You won't die," The Black Hydra remarked, suddenly taking a hold of her tail. It pulled her backward, rubbing her scales the wrong way. It said it as a threat, instead of a reassurance. As if saying I can do all I want to you and your death would've been the only proof.
"N-" She wanted to scream no, but water entered her nose too fast before she could cry. She stretched her arms out, feeling jagged rocks and shells try and pierce her scales. A dark haze surrounded her like the smoke from the Black Hydra.
Behind her, just out of sight, the Black Hydra watched behind her, smelling the trail of blood behind her. It stuck out a long claw and drank in the crimson rush. Quake thought she could hear it grinning through the water, but the Black Hydra was still messing with her, just like it would do to someone else. The ghost crept its burned and bruised talon against her bleeding leg. It saw the deep cut pulsing and bleeding as she dragged it through the stones.
"Are you scared yet?" It asked, the back of it's throat still growling as it spoke. In her head she was screaming, NO, NO, NO! But that was all, slowly losing hope in escaping this creature. Still Quake pulled herself through, conscious fading. Kicking and scratching at the Black Hydra as the tunnel seemed to collapse under its own weight. Her heart beat in her ears. Eyes wide and burning with tears and salt water. Giant chunks of cliff pressed into her back as she struggled. Her breath escaped her, clouding her already disrupted vision with bubbles.
Everything was a blur. The claws touching her scales. The blood drifting in the water. Going black and faded. She knew it would give her a fate worse than death, but she still refused to hope that someone would help her. She brought herself into the cave because of herself. Why should someone help her get out of the hole she dug?
Still, she found herself in a dark world. Lungs aching. Eyes burning. Talons shaking. Barely freeing herself from the tunnel when she latched herself onto someone warm. Someone safe. She didn't deserve it.