Scarab the Fierce

Chapter Eight

Scarab didn't look away from the hole for a while. She waited for her vision to adjust to the dark and she'd be able to see the vague outline of anything, but the dark just stretched out as far as she could see. 

Qibli shifted uncomfortably next to her, and she could sense his apprehension. 

"We're not just going to ignore this, are we?" Arid asked after another moment of silence stretched longer than it should have. 

"I don't think so." Scarab looked at Qibli. "What do you think?"

Qibli's face flickered with pleasant surprise before resting on something between anxious and determined. "I think it's worth exploring. It might lead somewhere." 

Scarab nodded and stepped carefully into the tunnel. It slanted downwards, and the thought of walking underneath the dark desert dunes did little to relax her stomach. The sand in the tunnel was eerily cool to the touch and shifted under her talons. Scarab sucked in a breath and blew it out, sending a rod of flame down the tunnel. It illuminated the darkness and disappeared into the distance.

They walked in unanimous silence, all too worried that too much noise could bring the tunnel down on top of them. Scarab tucked her wings close to her. Every scale on body pickled with tension as claustrophobia started creeping up on her.

The tunnel got no bigger as they walked, in fact, it seemed to get smaller. Small enough that Scarab could hear Arid's wings brushing either side of the tunnel as they walked. Scarab had a moment of panic. What if this is a dead end? What if the tunnel gets so small we can't turn around?

Scarab's thoughts evaporated as she saw something down the tunnel. She saw something. A little flicker of light. Sunlight, no less.

"I see a light!" Scarab whispered urgently. She could feel Qibli crane his neck over her to see the light, so close they were to each other. "Hurry!"

Their pace quickened, and the light got bigger and bigger until a dragon could fit through. Scarab stopped just outside the exit and listened. The end of the tunnel was loosely covered by vines and hanging plants. Scarab could hear running water and gentle rustling. Hesitantly, she pulled the vines away.

It was like nothing she'd ever seen. Towering trees draped their canopies from incredible heights, vines and leaves and buds decorating them in the most natural way possible. Bushes and shrubs and plants adorned the large clearing they had emerged into, filling the air with the scent of life.

Scarab gazed around the clearing. She noticed that the tunnel exit was the mouth of a small cave hidden behind all manner of vegetation.

"It's so, green." Arid said in awe.

"Uh, guys?" Qibli said. He pointed to a massive rock next to the cave. "Look at the marks in the dirt. That rock acts as a door to the tunnel. Someone knows about it already."

Scarab inspected the dirt Qibli had pointed out. It definitely looked like the rock had been dragged back and forth a number of times. "The tracks look fresh as well, like someone opened it just a few days ago. And it wasn't us."

A chill ran up Scarab's spine. A breeze rustled the leaves above them and Arid tensed. "I don't like this. I feel cramped not being able to see very far." After a few minutes she said, "Do you feel like we're being watched?"

She had a point. The trees restricted their view in a way Scarab had never experienced. The air felt damp and clung to her scales. What was  intriguing new surroundings at once became eerie and threatening. Scarab shivered.

The breeze continued up in the canopies, adding texture to the tense silence. None of them spoke, for the feeling of being watched was shared now. Scarab held her wings close to her, instinctively protecting her face and torso. She barely noticed Qibli and Arid's repositioning as she focused on any speck of movement near the outside of the clearing, subtlety moving protectively on either side of her.

Scarab could feel it in her bones, danger danger danger. And she knew that Qibli and Arid felt it too.

All was silent.

Phfft.

Scarab tensed at the noise but soon relaxed. Just an insect. No doupt it just flitted past her ear.

Phfft. Phfft.

Arid hissed and lifted a talon to her neck. Scarab turned and saw Qibli dubiously pulling a small dart out of his shoulder. It was small and green and very sharp.

Phfft. Phfft, phfft.

Something stung on the side of Scarab's neck just under her ear. She swiped at it and saw another green dart. At least, she thought it was a green dart. Her vision was blurring and she couldn't quite identify the artificial bug that had stung her.

Sleeping....dart. Her mind said aimlessly. Don't hurt.....others. She felt her legs collapse beneath her as her vision faded to black.

A/N:
Eyyyyy, sorry for not posting in awhile :) Believe it or not I am still alive.

This was a bit of A shorter chapter because I wanted it to be and because I needed to post something. But don't worry. Things are about to pick up.

Give me all the constructive critiscm! It genuinely helps and it makes me happy to know you guys are paying attention enough to give tips, so thank you for that.

And I'm really enjoying the theories you suggest as well. And the ships!

Anyway, have a good day.