Heroes of Dreamland Rewritten, Book 1: Stars Amidst Lightning

Chapter 40

Sakura Dee | さくら•ヂィー

When I'm finally released from my nightmares by being woken up, it turns out to be Kirby whom I have to thank for saving me. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be happy circumstances that caused him to wake me up, going by the fact that he's panicking so hard I can't even understand him in my half-awake, badly-rested state.

Rubbing my eyes furiously as I sit up, I try my best to focus in on his frantic cries, but even once I'm past the haze of sleep, I still have trouble understanding him as he runs around the cave chattering on in a frightened manner. Bandanna is quietly, worriedly watching both of us from where he stands in the corner, spear grasped tightly in his right paw. Standing up, I go over and gently catch the pink one by one paw. "Kirby, I can't understand a single thing you're saying. You need to calm down and tell me one thing at a time, okay? Now, take a few deep breaths, and then try to explain things again."

Looking up at me worriedly, he follows my instructions and takes a few deep breaths through his nose before opening his mouth again. "Okay, okay. Kirby-poy try t'be calmer now."

Giving his paw a reassuring squeeze, I tell him, "Okay, now, what's up?"

Pulling away gently, he crosses his paws and explains anxiously, "Kirby waked up, but don't know what time it is because it's still all the way dark outside except for lightning sometimes. Like, the really bad dark that was happenin' every night before the nice day."

Frowning to myself worriedly, I step to the mouth of the cave only to see that he's right. If it weren't for the electric lantern that one of the kids must have turned on, it'd be pitch black in here, too. Just as I prepare to venture outside of the cave, a massive bolt of lightning hits a nearby tree with a blindingly bright flash of light. Luckily enough for us, it only splits the tree completely down the middle without setting it ablaze, but I'm certain another strike would be enough to send the tree up in flames. Of course, the lightning is immediately followed by a rumble of thunder so loud and deep it makes several pebbles go cascading down from the cave roof and onto our heads. Kirby cries out in fear while Bandanna just trembles quietly in the corner.

"It's got to be daytime by now," I whisper fearfully to myself. "'Darkness such as Dreamland has never known...' He's here, and he's taken hold." Just then, another stab of terror goes through my heart as I realize something. Turning to the kids, I demand, "Where's Meta Knight??"

Shaking his head in fear, Kirby answers anxiously, "That's t'other problem, S'kura-poy. I can't find Meta Knight."

"Shotzo," I hiss to myself. Stepping carefully out of the cave, I call out as loud as I can, "Meta Knight? Meta Knight?! Where are you??"

There's no immediate answer, so I spread my wings in preparation for takeoff and draw my sword to use for light, only for a stern voice to reprimand me from nearby, "Don't you dare try flying in this weather. You'd be way too easy of a target."

Obeying instantly, I take a step backwards into the cave again and demand as I shine my sword around, "Where are you? I can't see anything out there!"

With a heavy sigh, the masked knight finally steps into my beam of light out from an area where I remember there being an overhang last night. "I'm right here. I didn't abandon you all again."

Heaving a sigh of relief, I grab his arm and tug him back into the cave so he's not out being a target for the lightning himself, not caring whether he doesn't like to be touched or not at the moment. "I wasn't worried you'd abandoned us; I was worried you were out there hurt or something."

He stops short and stares after me, now in the relative safety of the dimly-lit cave. "Do you even actually care, after..." His words cut off there, but the way he diverts his eyes in shame easily tells me what he was going to say.