A Single Strand || #Wattys2018

Chapter Eleven

The waves crash against the cliff as Hyrna lays on her back, looking up at the stars. The twin full moons shine brightly, casting their silver rays down onto the tired alien below. She lets the wind swirl gently around her, ruffling her fur and feathers. The light from the sky above very slowly turn their way over the abyss. Somewhere down below, Hyrna knows that Mahanako and Avalu swim below, possibly waiting for her by the silver pyramid.

Hyrna can't think straight. Normally, as she lies awake trying to sleep, she just lets her mind wander like a breeze, never remaining on one thought for very long. She can jump from topic to topic, always enjoying each thing her mind comes up with. Escape plans, memories from home, plans to go swimming some more to see more of the coral, ideas on what more she can create. The hard rock often makes her think strongly about trying to design a hammock so her back and wings can get a rest.

But now, Hyrna can't think of anything else but the impending eruptions. Part of her wants to see it. She's never seen a volcano erupt before; after all, she's part of the Nakshudu, who inhabit the vast forests of Sargada. She's not from the Makraina; they're the ones who enjoy hanging around ticking time bombs every day. She wants to see plumes of ash and cinders rising from far below in the deep. She wants to witness the columns of magma rushing up to the surface, see the glowing red and orange wall of potential death burst through the water and rain upon the world. It might wind up making the archipelago larger, if Hyrna's lucky enough to witness that.

However, the other part of her worries for the Takome. They've survived the eruptions for thousands of years, but with the doom that is the Karnas rebuilding themselves, possibly to commit even more heinous acts than before, they might not make it out of this. They're still around, but the first attack already devastated them, from what she knew from the databanks and Mahanako. One more attack might end them for good.

Hyrna looks over to one side. She sees Haowikaitiya lying there, the ruddy coating turning white in the moonlight. The Nemarin gets up, picks up her horn, and goes to the edge of the cliff. Sitting down, she lets her legs dangle over the edge, her paws kicking off of the gray rock.

The jungle silence is killing me, she thinks. I might as well.

She puts her horn to her lips and blows softly into it. The sound is mournful, somewhat longing, as it sends out over concentric waves into the night. She changes the strength of her breath and the movement of her lips, which, in turn, makes the notes lower, higher, sharper, or softer. The song is something like a dirge. It's a lonely ballad, in memory of someone. But who? The oppressed Takome, living in fear of the Karnas? The loyal Nemarin, who came to their aid and paid the price? The dead on both sides, forgotten by history? Hyrna doesn't know.

When the song ends, the final notes rings true and somber over the water and through the air. For a moment, Hyrna doesn't want to breathe, afraid the sound of her inhaling will disturb the slowly increasing silence. But, eventually, she does breathe, letting the cool night air circulate through her blood.

I'm becoming more and more a part of this planet by the second.

Hyrna places Haowikaitiya down beside her and looks to her left, where her wrecked ship rests, like a decaying corpse ready to be interred. She goes over to the rear of The Frigate and pries apart the metal, hoping to find something that might've survived. The metal feels cold to the touch, but she pushes on until she finds exactly what she needs; the neon green, cylindrical flight recorder; the "black box" as she's heard other Nemarin say some species call it.

Hyrna places a paw on the black screen on top. The screen turns blue, scans her pawprint, and flashes green. Hyrna lifts her paw and looks at the screen, where a menu reads: