Lost in the Abyss

The Hesitation of my Heart

(Roxi POV)

I stare down at the body in front of me. It isn't human, but it's definitely familiar. The corpse is so large that I'm having trouble figuring out what it is. I reach out my claws and touch it. The feeling of rock-hard scales causes me to jerk back. That's...another dragon!

A strange feeling pulses through me. A feeling of familiarity. Memories upon memories explode in my mind! Those same scales could be felt on the shell of my egg as my mother curled around me. Is this my mom...?

I come around to her side and lay against her. A few tears roll down my snout. I spot a few arrows in their side, along with multiple stab wounds. I see a sword sticking out of their hide. Raising my snout, I sniff the hilt of the blade. Human, it smells like human. And not just any human, the human next to me. I step back from the weapon and glance over at the human. My eyes widen as I shake in shock.

My mother had been murdered by the human I had been with this whole time.

(Clown POV)

I breathe a sigh of relief, the corpse isn't Branzy! I watch as Roxi examines the body, but that's when I realize... it's the dragon I killed from earlier! Roxi is staring at her mother's body. The sword I had originally used to deliver the killing blow was still in her side. Roxi takes notice of the sword and sniffs it. They back off immediately and stare at me, eyes widening. They've no doubt come to the conclusion of what happened.

"Hey, Roxi, it's not what it looks like, or smells like..." I try to calm the dragon down, but it's not working. Roxi takes a few more steps back before turning into a full sprint. I dash after Roxi but they're too fast. They unfurl their wings and leap into the air, my only way out of the void gone.

No, no, no, crap! My only exit is gone! What's even worse is that Branzy is probably around here being eaten alive by a Lurker. Once Roxi is fully out of view I feel a sudden closing sensation in my throat. This is bad, I can't survive without the natural shield from the void's elements. I begin to choke as my throat closes in on itself. My oxygen deprived brain manages to remember the body. Maybe dead dragons still have shields?

I stumble over to the corpse, my breathing getting better with every step. I stop right by the dragon, close enough to breathe, but not closer for fear of the smell. I just stand there, panting. Once I've caught my breath, I begin to analyze the situation I'm in. I can breathe, but I don't have a way out. Priority number one is finding Branzy or else there won't be a reason to leave.

That same slithering sound I first heard from the void fills my ears. It's close, I can hear it. I can't see at all so I must rely on my other senses. Something is coming into view, a figure in the darkness. Wait, is that Branzy? The silver hair and purple eyes are unmistakable. But something's wrong... there is a tentacle protruding out of his head!

"Branzy? Is that you?" I ask with uncertainty.

An odd distorted voice answers me, "Sorry, Branzy is out to lunch I'm afraid.

That's not Branzy's voice, although it's coming from his mouth. I believe I've had my first interaction with a Lurker. I step back and reach for my dagger. I grab its hilt and raise it in front of me.

The voice snickers, "You really are going to try and kill me? I'm inside of your boyfriend here. You can't reach me."

Shoot, how do I kill this thing? And that's when one of its tentacles shoots out of the darkness, aiming straight for me.

(Roxi POV)

I take off into the air, I can't stay near that murderer for long. Tears sting my eyes as I soar in the darkness. What's this awful pain in my chest? I'm so confused... the human seemed nice and they even fed me! What an awful twist of events.

My wing muscles ache from the constant usage. My vision blurs for a slight moment and exhaustion threatens to consume me. But that's when I feel a ripple in my scales. Oh no, I feel a shift coming... My wings involuntarily begin to fold. I see my claws begin to reshape and take on a different form.

I need to land quickly before I end up crashing! I dive down towards the ground, this landing won't be pretty. I fold my disappearing wings over my head before I make contact with the ground. "BAM!" I smash into the floor with immense force. I lay there in agony as my body continues to reform.

My scales disappear as they are replaced with soft flesh. I grunt and stand up on my two legs. Why did I transform now of all times?! This is bad, really bad. I look down at my newly made fingers and try to figure out what to do. Maybe I should pick a direction and walk on, an exit would be nice.

A shuffling noise is heard in the distance. What could that be? I turn around and begin traveling in that direction.

"Oh my-" What am I seeing? These giant tentacles are protruding out of the shadows. My eyes widen and my breathing picks up. I feel my heart pounding beyond control. This horrid creature seems to be focused on something. I squint my eyes to get a better look. It's the human...and another human?

I spot a second human with one of the tentacle in their skull. The first human (which I recognize) whips out a dagger and speaks to the other human. I watch the interaction play out until one of the tentacles shoots forward at the first human.

"Kill it..." An inner voice whispers. My instincts scream at me to attack the tentacle. I get bad vibes from the creature... "KILL IT!" The voice inside me shrieks once again. I take off running. Using my two human legs I sprint towards the monster as quickly as possible.

I jump at the tentacle just before it hits the human and sink my nails into it. I let out an animalistic roar of fury as the tentacle squirms beneath my grasp. The struggle fuels me to keep tearing at it. My distraction allows the human to use their dagger. They bring down their blade at the tentacle emerging from the other human's head.

A pure shriek of agony escapes the monster. Their tentacles recoil and thrash wildly. The tentacle that I'm gripping onto begins to weaken and become duller in color. Suddenly the limb collapses onto the ground, me along with it.

"OW!" I clamber off of the tentacle, clutching my arm. I landed on it hard, but that's not my focus right now. I spot the white haired human lose their balance and fall. The human with the mask; the murderer, catches the other human before they plummet. The masked human looks at me, their expression unreadable.

For a split second I consider leaving again, but then I walk over to the pair. I feel a different connection to the human. They're the only 'mother' I've really ever known. They took care of me... They haven't tried to harm me at all ever since I hatched. Besides, they'll need help getting out of here. I'd be a murderer too if I don't help.

I stop approaching them from a few feet away. A crawling feeling underneath my skin startles me. I'm changing back again. My hair is replaced by horns, my skin into scales, and my fingers into claws. I fall back onto all fours as my limbs reshape. I'm a normal dragon once again.

The human watches the whole transformation wide-eyed. They speak, "Roxi...?" It's almost comical how confused they are. The smaller, white haired, human stirs a bit in their arms. The taller speaks again, "Roxi, can you get us all out of here?"

I sigh loudly and shake out my wings. I unfold them, beckoning the humans to climb on, although I give the masked one a glare. I still don't know how I feel about my mother's killer, but they don't seem too bad. I grunt when I realize how heavy two humans are. What have I signed up for?

The human grips my horns like before but I shake their hands off. I don't trust them that much anymore. The human pulls back, emotionally hurt, but understanding. I lift off, leaving behind my mother's body, a lurker's corpse, and many awful memories.

(HELP, I wrote this at 4 am in Japan. My sleep is deteriorating fast, along with my sanity. I'm being smothered. -Author     Word count: 1500.)