2199 Extinction

Fire In My Bones

            It's well after nightfall before I feel solid ground underneath our feet. Thankfully, we didn't meet up with any more of the local wildlife.

           "Do you see that, up ahead?" Amancia asks.

          "Looks like a large fire." I say, squinting into the darkness.

            "I think we finally caught up with the Talfarians. Come on, let's go get the princess." Amancia breaks out in a run.

            "Wait. We don't know what we are getting into." I hiss, picking up my own pace. When we get closer, I see I was right about the waiting. In front of us, the mouth of a cave, stretches open like the mouth of some giant beast. Stalactites are barely visible in the shifting firelight, giving the illusion of teeth. A large fire burns in front of the mouth of the cave, completely blocking access.

            We stop behind a tree, just out of reach of the firelight, and take a look. The Talfarians are all laying down with the exception one or two, I'm guessing they are supposed to be the guards. I quickly scan the crowd, looking for my mother. I find her in the center of the Talfarians stroking something small and white. At this distance I can't really tell what it is. We duck back behind the tree, before anyone sees us.

            "Not much we can do, right now. We can try to snatch her once everyone falls asleep, but I'm not sure how well that will work." Amancia says.

            "Lets just go to sleep. We can take turns keeping watch." I say, yawning.

             "Okay, you sleep first. I can tell your exhausted."

            "I defiantly am." I say, leaning back against the tree.

             "Vos?"

             "Yes?"

            "Are you pregnant?"

              "There was a time I would have denied it. But since I have seen the future, the answer is yes. It's Amlican's baby. A boy." I say, as I shut my eyes.

               "I thought so." She says. She says something else as I drift off, I'm so sleepy I don't hear it.

               I awake to the sound of mother's voice echoing through the cave. Something about teeth and meat. I look over and see Amancia, sound asleep. Apparently, it was my turn to guard. Can't believe I fell asleep! How stupid! I hear the snapping of a branch and jerk my head to the side. What was that? My heart is pounding in my chest, as I imagine those large bird creatures roaming the woods. I squint into darkness but don't see anything. After a few minutes of silence, my heart rate returns to normal. As far as I can tell, nothing moves in the darkness. So, I drag myself to my feet and chance a quick look, behind the tree, into the cave. The fire has died down, to a few red-hot coals. I spot my mother disappearing into the back of the cave, alone. Where the heck are her guards?! I glance over the Talfarians and see that they are all asleep. Great. Just great. She's wandering off and no one is doing their job! At least following her will be easy.

               I quickly and quietly walk past Amancia and to the cave. I step over the hot coals and tip toe through the sleeping people. At one point, the toe of my boot, barely touches someone's arm. I freeze as the male mumbles in his sleep, rolls over, and grabs my left leg with both arms. Now what do I do? I try to gently ease my leg out of his grasp but that only makes him tighten his grip and mumble something else. I'm trapped in the middle of a people who hate me, because I am trying to kidnap their princess to prevent her from marrying one of their own. This is definitely not looking good for me. Wait a minute, I have an idea. I bend over and gently tickle the Talfarian's nose. He crinkles it up but doesn't loosen his grip. I try again, and this time he loosens his grip enough for me to pull my leg away.

            I hold my breath as I make it through the rest of the group, not daring to sigh in relief until I am out of sight. It's dark, this far back, only a faint blueish glow lights my path. Up ahead, two lanterns sit on the rocky floor, giving more light. And then I see my mother, with a strange white, fanged creature, on her shoulders. My heart sinks when I realize she is with Malum. I hide in the shadows, curious to see what they are talking about.

             "I mean it!" he says, raising his voice. He looks around as if checking to see if anyone else head, and then in a calmer voice continues, "Creatures called Katara live here. They are lab born hybrids. Most of the species is lazy. Except the ones that live here, they are dangerous. They are intelligent, fast moving, and hunt in a small pack. I've seen them lay a trap and then take down a full grown Loftin male. Which is not an easy task."

             "What do they look like?" mother asks.

               "They are approximately eight feet tall, walk on two legs, have razor sharp claws and teeth, long tails, 4 ears, long snout and short tattered wings. The leader of this hunting pack is named Winchester. He is the one with many tattoo-like scars. His mate has just the one tattoo-like scar."

               "How do you know all this information?"

                 "Because, I have been here before." He replies. "It was about one hundred years ago, but not much has changed."

               He's been here before? Well, that explains a lot! I wonder if he was part of the multicultural team that caused this planet to exist?

              I pull myself out of my musings in time to watch him lead mother by the hand, further into the tunnel. What is he doing? I follow them at a distance, making sure to stay hidden.

                "Do you see this blue algae, here?" he asks, holding his lantern up.

                   "Yes. It's very pretty." she says, reaching out and running her right hand along the algae. It must feel good because she holds both arms to it.

                  "It's bioluminescent algae, a special kind that was engineered on this planet. As you just found out, it somehow has medicinal properties. It was then placed in this cave to help the scientists navigate their way through. This cave is the most direct route from the marsh to the grasslands. It takes approximately twelve hours to go from one end of the cave to the other. That's assuming that you know which paths to take and don't get lost along the way. If you don't use this cave system, you are looking at an additional three to four days."

             "Why did you place the algae here, in this part of the cave, of all places?" she asks.

              "Because this cave system is so large, you can easily get lost and never find your way out. The algae will lead you out of here. It will take you to the grasslands, from there it's another day's journey until you reach the abandoned scientific outpost. The algae lights the path out, remember that."

             "Okay, thanks." Mother says, turning to leave.

             "Nova." Malum says, catching her by the arm, spinning her back around, and pulling her to his chest. She looks up into his eyes, as he lowers his lips to hers. The kiss seems to last forever, before they finally break apart. "Look out for Winchester. He despises anything that isn't a Katara. And whatever you do, don't have a weapon on you when you meet him. I'll see you again, soon."

             I watch as he walks her back to the others and then as he disappears the opposite direction. My blood boils to the point that I feel myself losing control of all thoughts. How dare he kiss her! I cannot let this happen! I slap my jacket arm and punch in the appropriate coordinates and timeframe. And before I can calm myself down, I feel the familiar fire in my bones, and the accompanying darkness.