Foamstone

Kasha

Written by moisa71

Yue felt herself being shaken and groaned sleepily, opening her eyes to see her mother standing over her. She yawned, closing her eyes and going back to sleep. Her mother could just come back with what she needed to ask her later. She simply wanted to sleep for a few hours before having to face everything going on.

Feeling a cool chill down her spine, she knew her mother poured ice down her and so she rolled over with sleep filled eyes.

"What is it, Mother?" She asked with a yawn, her eyes dropping again. She wanted to get as much sleep as she could before figuring out how to see Zanashron again. She needed to help him and his people.

Her mother didn't reply. She pulled Yue out of bed and dragged her outside where Zanashron was standing with other sky people twice his height. She felt her mother tug on her clothes so she looked presentable as her eyes widened at the sight of him. But she could only look at her mother in confusion, waiting to understand what was going on.

"Kasha," the tall man spoke from behind Zanashron, causing her to look up at him.

"What?" She asked in confusion, looking down to Zanashron. He didn't say anything as he began to glow. She knew he was glowing because he was scared of something.

"The rock Yue," said Zanashron. "I think they want to know where you found it."

Her mother spoke up from beside her, showing the rock Yue had worked hard to find in the cave that morning.

She could hear her father's shocked gasp behind her as he noticed the rock. Mother turned back and glared at him, so he wouldn't interrupt.

Yue took the rock from her mother's hand and held it up to the sky people.

"You want me to show you where these rocks are?" She asked.

The sky people nodded and spoke to Zanashron in words she didn't yet understand. She looked back to him in confusion and he seemed to try and process what they just told him, before attempting to do a clear translation. "Kasha, we need... Kasha for our... ship?" He said pointing between the large metal ship and the rock.

"You need fuel? How can a rock be fuel?" she asked in confusion, looking at the river that had now become a mixture of metalic brown and red. She marvelled, How could they turn rock into fuel? Did they need it for something else?

The villagers watched along with Yue as the sky people nodded to her question. They started to glow, probably from happiness at potentially getting everything solved, but she was still confused. Had they not understood what she was saying?

She swished around her mouth in thought. The cave was easy for her to enter and search for the special rock, but these people were too tall to fit inside, only Zanashron could fit in there, being her height.

She looked at Zanashron and didn't know what to say. He seemed too afraid to speak and his glow was brighter than the others. He stood up rigid, looking at her with unmoving eyes. She didn't know what he was trying to say, but she knew if his people found these rocks then it would be bad... But for who?

Yue was brought out of her thoughts by Zanashron speaking with the sky people once more. She could understand the words morning and ship, but everything else was a mystery. She watched him be pet on the head by the tallest and probably eldest of the creatures. She still decided to stay silent and wait until she was spoken to once more.

Her village seemed to be waiting for an answer from Zanashron, so that they could breathe in peace once more. Placing her arms behind her back, Yue weighed herself between her feet as swung patiently. She could see from time to time, the look Zanashron would give her, before he cleared his throat to speak.

She came to a halt and waited for him to speak, sensing the tense air of those around her. "Take me to the... fuel?... We need leave in the morning..." Zanashron said brokenly, as he stepped forward toward Yue. She gave him a slow nod and turned to look at her parents for permission, even though everyone knew this would not be a choice by either party, but the sky people.

To show the sky people that she would not hinder their search, her mother gave me a small and slow nod. Yue started moving and didn't dare look back as she led Zanashron away. The farther away they were, the more comfortable Yue felt and the more she was aware that we could now talk freely. Running her hands down her shirt, she noticed that they were sweaty from the nervousness she felt as they trekked up the hill to find the cave.

"It is very dark," Yue said, looking at him and trying to show a sign of darkness. Thinking for a moment, she pointed to the sun and then pointed to her wrist. "Darkness... Happened earlier?" She tried, thinking of her sun almost being eaten earlier that day, before the sky people had made such a grand entrance.

She noticed Zanashron glow, as he let out a laugh and shake of the head. She decided that he knew what she was talking about and entered the cave. The usually dark location was now glowing with light as Zanashron laughed at her earlier statement. Now that she had a better light, she could see the rocks lining the cave and knew the deeper the two would travel, the more likely they would be to find what his people were looking for.

"Why are your people looking for this rock? Does it hold more value than just Kasha?" she asked as they made their way through the cave. She was looking for the stream where the rock should be, but it was harder to focus when she could finally see the cave she had once explored blind. She was fascinated by how the cave seemed to glimmer moments before Zanashron's glow changed into one of fear.

Turning to look at him, she noticed his eyes on a set of stones piled against the wall. As she turned to see what it was, her eyes widened at the amount of rocks piling nearby. The sound of rushing water filled her ears, but she and Zanashron didn't move as they stared at the large mass of rock in front of them.

"Should we... Should we take it?" She asked, just before she heard an almost primal sound and was knocked to the ground, darkness filling her world.