Abide With Me

Chenqing, Bichen and Suibian

Wisps of mist covered the tiny waterfall, surrounded by the canopy of huge leafy old trees. The water, cold, crystal clear and somehow running nearly silent, fell steeply into a beautiful deep pool, ringed by protective rocks and fringed by rushes. In this idyllic setting, Princess Zise de Yanjing swam with a lightness that belied her size and station. The waiting was taking a toll on her equanimity and she struggled to not snap at the matronly Beaver who kept offering her towels, refreshment and flowers. Her purple eyes kept scanning the skies and the water repeatedly. A speck appeared on the horizon, grew into a dot, larger and larger, till it became visible clearly. A pursuit diver Gannet* folded his wings mid-flight and dropped like a stone, hurtling through the azure, piercing the calm surface of the water like a torpedo! But..., hardly a ripple! Seconds later, he re-emerged at the far end of the pool and took flight, banking his wings in salute. The Princess raised a delicate fin in response, breathed deeply and waited. Sure enough, up came a Mud Crab with a precious Clam held in his pincers.

The Princess touched her elegant fin to the Clam that swung open, and the Chieftain's voice announced; "HRH lives! Rescue by Oriental guests imminent. Extraction being launched!" Hearing this, the Princess went still. Though her face remained serene, the purple- fringed eyes were dewed with emotions, running the gamut from pain and fear to relief, anticipation and exhilaration! Her soulmate, Prince Chengse de Yanjing was alive! Suddenly her whole body rippled and the huge topaz adorning her forehead blazed with the fire within. Unseen by commoners, a wave of orange energy unfurled on the ether and sought it's Mate. Rising as a ribbon, it swiftly shot into the mines following any water it found.

Deep in the bowels of the mountain, the air in the Grotto seemed to crackle and a surge of energy rippled through the water, running unchecked, coming to a rest as it encountered the prone form of Prince Chengse de Yanjing! As the energized water lapped his lower body, the Prince suddenly drew in a long shuddering breath, sat upright and declared, "Zise my dearest, I am fine!" He glanced upwards and a flash of green shone on his forehead. The grey cloud above crackled and spat In response. The Prince then looked down and another flash, green, entered the water and shot off to meet his Soulmate!

Pranith rushed to the recovering Prince, bowed awkwardly, saying "Ayubowan, Royal Highness!" The Royal Da-Ni looked all around him, taking stock of his situation. Pranith offered him clean water to drink, which was gratefully accepted. 

"What are you doing?! Who said you could drink water? The hefty guards yelled and charged towards the Prince. With one mighty flick of his tail, the Prince caused a wall of the fetid river water to rise up vertically and fall forcefully upon the guards. Caught unawares, they spluttered, gasped and floundered ineffectively, trying to escape the soaking, for all that they were Beavers by birth! As they struggled to get up, the Prince rose briskly out of the water and was moving towards an injured Da-Ni couple, when he stopped mid-stride and looked up. A sliver of light left the cloud and reached the Prince. The Prince seemingly collapsed to the ground and clutched his chest, groaning! Pranith watched all this, perplexed!

Suddenly, there were voices. As before the workers grew lively, and the clanking of chains grew brisk. The transformation in the energy levels in the Grotto told Pranith that the workers were anticipating someone or something good. Jayawardene Mama and the guards, however, grew withdrawn and glanced fearfully at a passage at the far end of the Grotto, where the voices had come from. A wave of cold air rippled through the Grotto, and the hair on Pranith's nape rose and a sudden silence fell, broken only by Prince's groans of pain.

Lori and Linghun Qiezei emerged from the gloom. The Gryphon's eyes snapped from one face to another, noting changes, missing nothing. Lori however, was now in her benevolent avatar! Her brilliant green and shocking yellow plumage on full display, she strutted from worker to worker, offering a smile here, a nod there, a wing wrapped around a shoulder in sympathy, a few words of encouragement to a hungry Otter!