Lost: The Forgotten

Chapter Two

He shot forwards, spinning around. An enormous white paw rapidly pushed through the hole, but with a roar, it retracted.

Trembling, Arashi pricked his ears. Through his sister's whimpering and the bear's heavy breathing just outside, he could pick up faint howls just outside...

"I'm getting help, I promise!" Mizu wailed. "Just don't come out!"

For once, he took his mother's words into consideration. "We won't!" He howled, hoping Mizu would hear. The polar bear bellowed, and Arashi flinched, his ears trying to catch every sound.

"I won't be long." A choked, yet calm response came minutes later.

Kasai put her head on his shoulder, shivering in fear. "Arashi... how long will we be here?"

Although the cavern was dimly lit, he could see tears shining in Kasai's wide eyes.

He gulped, knowing he couldn't lie. "I don't know..."

Arashi curled up on the stone ledge, his tail around Kasai. "We need to rest." He closed his eyes.

His sister rested her head on his flank, letting out a shaky sigh. "Okay," she murmured nervously.

Within moments, she was breathing steadily. Knowing she was at peace, he relaxed, letting himself drift into darkness.

Arashi blinked, lifting his head. He was alone. What... "Kasai?" he barked, getting up and turning in a circle. "Kasai! Where are you?"

A growl made him flinch. He turned, spotting the cold, fierce eyes of a polar bear. Its wet nose pressed against his, and a warm breath blew against him. A fiery red shape hung loosely from its jaws, and with a jolt, Arashi realized exactly what it was.

Who it was.

"Kasai!" he cried, gulping down a lump in his throat. Please, no... please....

The bear sneered, snapping Kasai's spine with a crunch of its jaws. "Please, stop!"

It opened its mouth, and his sister's lifeless body crumpled to the ground. Blood dripped from its teeth.

"You have failed to save her. You are weak. You can never win." Arashi stared, powerless, into the polar bear's cruel eyes. Its cold gaze seemed to swallow him whole, enveloping him in an endless pit of unimaginable fear. Arashi was drowning in darkness, submerged in terror. Nothing could save him.

He jolted awake, still encased in fear.

"Arashi..." Kasai murmured, yawning. "You'd think you'd sleep a little longer, with what we've just been through."

Believe me, I was dying to wake up.

He shuddered a little, licking her fur. "Are you okay?"

"Um... yeah? Aren't you?"

Arashi hesitated. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Kasai narrowed her eyes, but she nodded and stretched. "Well, we're probably going to be here for a while, so we might as well make this space worthwhile." She squeezed through another gap to her left, and Arashi gasped.

"Wait, we don't know if it's sa-"

"Arashi, come check this out!" Kasai's voice was ecstatic.

He sighed, following her voice in the dark. Light started to feed into his eyes, and he spotted some tiny cracks in the ceiling. He looked back down, grinning.

"This is great!" Kasai laughed, turning to face him. Arashi nodded. For one, it was way more roomy. And not as dangerous. He shuddered, imagining what would've happened if the precarious cavern they had slept on the night before collapsed.

He shook away the thought, looking around some more and stepping deeper into the cave. Moss lined some parts of the stone walls, and there was a small pool of stagnant water, probably melted snow from outside.

"Ew," Kasai murmured as she touched the marshy liquid.

"It's better than nothing," Arashi flashed back. "Or would you rather die of thirst?"

Kasai nodded, falling silent.

Arashi suddenly gulped. A clump of dried blood and some fur was gathered in a pile nearby.

Someone's been here.

He took a tiny bit of the water and splashed it away.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," he responded quickly, observing the moss on the sides of the wall. "Hey, jump on." He bent down.

"Why?"

"I need you to get that moss." Kasai tilted her head, but clambered onto his back. Arashi straightened, and she took a sharp breath as she tried to balance herself, carefully removing the moss.

"There." She breathed after throwing down some clumps of moss. She leaped off, and Arashi relaxed. He started to gather some moss in the lower places. "So, um... what is this for?"

"Do you want to sleep on stone again?" He replied, starting to arrange it into some sort of bedding.

Kasai's eyes glimmered. "Ah. I see." She began to gather some the last bits off of the walls, adding to Arashi's pile.

Arashi felt his stomach rumble. We might have water, but... we won't last long without food.

A/N: Yes, this chapter was shorter than the first one. But to be honest, most of the chapters will actually be this size (:P). All support is appreciated! 

We are trying to post as many chapters as we can daily, but if we disappear for a few days, please don't think we're dead. Lol!