Eternity of Pain (FINISHED)

Chapter 4: Beyond the Waves

 ShineSwift felt like she's been falling for quite a while.

Was it one day, or was it an hour, or was it . . .

After a long while, she finally managed to open her eyes, to see an ocean around her. Weirdly, the ocean seems a bit red, and extremely hot. ShineSwift quickly swam up to the surface, where she managed to catch sight of a fiery storm right before she sank under the water again.

I need to get out .

And Fast.

ShineSwift steadied herself in the current, angling her wings just right, and shot out of the burning water at blazing speed. Two dragon lengths away, the storm was almost upon her. ShineSwift carefully glided through the blistering hot wind, avoiding the debris that the storm was stirring around.

After what had seemed like an eternity, ShineSwift finally spotted what looked like an island up ahead. Her wings ached and her tail dragged as she made her way. Soon, her claws reached fine sand. ShineSwift collapsed just outside of the water's reach. Her dreams made no sense, which was just fine.

He tread upon the burning sand, wishing that this wasn't what it is. He wanted to break free from the hold that the world had him in. He never wanted to be trapped in this eternal prison.

He walked the endless waves of sand and lava that mixed in the stone hollow. He could feel the burning walls cave in on him as he walked farther and farther into the labyrinth.

I shouldn't have done that horrible thing.

Please let this misery end soon.

The walls started to shake. He looked up. Lava was starting to seep through the black walls. No, no. He ran faster and faster, while the shaking intensified. Every claw length, every wing length– lava was glowing, was staring at him with their blood red eyes. Pools started to form on the floor.

"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

ShineSwift woke up in a jolt of fear. She slowly breathed, letting out a breath of relief.

You idiot. It was just a dream, ShineSwift.

But. . .

It felt so real.

You stupid. Of course dreams seem real.

ShineSwift slowly stood up on her claws. A scrabbling sound nearby nearly brought back the horrors of the dream. She carefully stalked around the corner, and found a tiny Clawth scratching at the cave walls nearby. Its tiny paws worked furiously at the stone, but it brought up nothing but a broken claw. ShineSwift walked over to the little creature and nudged it, gently, with her tail. It squeaked, and toppled over. ShineSwift lightly walked over and picked up the Clawth by the scruff. It protested gently, squirming in her jaws.

Huh. Well, that's cute.

As she walked back into the cave, the creature stopped trying to jerk her way out of her teeth. It hung limply, releasing pitiful meows once every several clawsteps.

ShineSwift gently set it down.

"Don't go anywhere," she said sternly to the Clawth.

"Mew" was all she got from it.

What should I name it? Ah. . . Look at its white and black fur. Look at its mismatched bright cyan and deep blue eyes. Look at its deep blue paws, tail, and ears.

Ah.

I know now.

"I shall name you Lunar, after your deep shades of blue and your eyes." The Clawth glanced at ShineSwift awkwardly, and let out a purr.

Yes. That's right.

"Now we shall find a way back to my friends together, shall we?" Lunar leaped onto her extended paw and walked onto her back, wrapping her small arms around her neck. It mewed happily

Now let's find a way out of this mess shall we?

ShineSwift walked out of the cave, and paused at the area where Lunar was scratching at the stone walls. The wall there was a little different . . . and jutted out a little bit. ShineSwift crouched down and poked it. It went in a tiny bit, then came back out.

A button. For something. Something secretive, probably if it's hidden so carefully like that.

ShineSwift poked at it again, but this time she did it harder, with her full talon instead of just a claw. This time the button went in completely, and never came out. The ground started rumbling with the force of a volcano. Red and blue lines started to trace the cave.

"Uh oh." ShineSwift didn't think that the shaking was good. Lunar agreed by crouching down even lower, gripping ShineSwift's neck more tightly and with claws out, and its ears were flat against her head. Suddenly, the rumbling stopped. ShineSwift looked beyond. Nothing seemed to have changed. She looked into the cave entrance. ShineSwift gasped as she took in the scene.

A new tunnel appeared to the immediate right of the cave.

ShineSwift felt Lunar leap down from her back and bounced into the new pathway.

"Wait!" ShineSwift tried to match her pace, but the Clawth was running faster than a dragon's wing pace. ShineSwift quickly lost Lunar as she tried to catch up.

Hopefully this isn't a maze that only Lunar knows how to get out.

Luckily, the walls didn't split into any new passageways, and Lunar's loud pawsteps quickly led the way. Finally, the stone walls opened up to an abyss, with a flat island in the middle. Instead of water, lava flowed from the cave walls. Lunar was leaping from one stepping stone to the next, following her way to the tunnel. A hole right in the middle of the platform glowed with a poisonous yellow energy. Lunar leapt right in.

ShineSwift stood on the very edge of the hole, felt the strength pulling at her, daring her to get in it. She took a deep breath, and ShineSwift dove right into the deep sun.