The Heroes of Aeseganora: Part 1 - The Oca-Tree

The Evergladian Gem

It had been many hours. None of the Octonauts could have described how they were feeling. It was an emptiness, regret and guilt so deep and so dark that it seemed to be a bottomless pit. One moment, Tunip was there, the next moment, he and the rest of the Vegimals were gone. Similarly, the last time they saw Shellington was before they stepped through the portals, before they had all begun their search. And now, he was gone, therefore the Vegimals were gone.

The suddenness and the unexpectedness of their deaths seemed unreal, like something that should not have happened.

And yet, it had.

Barnacles and Inkling, both looking white and drawn, suggested that they all got some rest, and so they did, albeit the quality of the sleep being poor and very disturbed.

Tweak was the only one who was still awake. She had stopped crying by the time everyone else had fallen asleep by the statues, but the painful strangling feeling in her throat was still there. Kwazii was curled up at her feet snoring like a pig, while she lay behind the tree, staring at the bare branches, unsure as to how she was going to ever stand up again. She was hardly able to sleep from her heartbreak - nothing seemed to make sense anymore. How could she - or the whole crew - continue their mission without Dashi or Shellington? Without Tunip and the Vegimals?

And after Ollum warned them about the unknown threat that was lurking around Aeseganora, she wondered whether the threat had captured Shellington. When she thought about it once more, she curled up, twisted and hunched over against the crush of grief, her furry face, damp from her tears, pressed in her paws.

After a while, she wiped her tears and looked around for any sign of hope.

We could really do with something positive right now, she thought to herself with a deep sigh. Come on, anything.

They all really needed it; just something to motivate them all to keep going with the search. They couldn't just stop or give up simply because Shellington and the Vegimals were gone - after all, it was only a matter of time before Aeseganora would disappear completely, unless the Oca-Tree was restored and the unknown threat was stopped.

She needed to find the last treasure.

She tried to stand up, despite not having the strength to lift herself from the ground, and after a few attempts, her unstable legs finally managed to stand up as she balanced her weight on the Tree.

After some thought, Tweak closed her eyes, summoned all the courage that was remaining within her, and squeezed her Gate.

I'm going to find the last treasure, whether the place it is hiding in crumbles or not, she confirmed to herself. I can do this. I know I can do this.

She was not bothered the slightest bit about whatever dangers would lay ahead - it was too much to take in. She remained focused on the search, because thinking about what had happened earlier would be too unbearable.

Soon enough, a green-purple vortex appeared, and leaves burst out into the area with a strong gust of wind for company.

And with no time for second thoughts, Tweak took a deep breath and stepped through the portal and into another place.

****************

As she emerged from the darkness of the Tree and out into the shining moonlight, Tweak shielded her eyes as she stepped through long grass on a cliff overlooking some muddy swamps, not too unlike those at the Everglades.

She moved quietly and carefully, trying not to wake any of the creatures that were sleeping. Nocturnal birds swooped above her head as the haunting shine of the moon glared over the silhouette of the trees. The smell of mud hung in the heavy night air, serving as a warning to those who tried to enter the crocodile's habitats.