Crystal Bloodlines

Chapter 2: Ice Cube

As Dell got up and began to dust himself off, he quickly made his way over to Cyrus to make sure he was okay, making sure to keep the direction of the shriek fresh in his mind. As he made his way to Cyrus he didn't do much besides give him a look, a look that screamed that he had to check it out, almost as if he was enchanted by it. Except he wasn't enchanted so much as the sound was touching on something primal deep within himself.

Cyrus sighed, "Dell, this could be dangerous, though I know i can't change your mind. So please please be careful"

Dell smiles at his friend's care, "I'll do my best, but whatever is making that sound needs us"

Dell quickly began sprinting, and as another shriek sounded, chilling him to his core he broke out into a full blown run, causing Cyrus to have difficulties in following him as he jumped over obstacles almost as if they weren't there as his mind quickly began to focus on one thing and one thing only, finding the source of the shriek.

After a few minutes of running fuelled by the ever increasing shrieks, and covering a distance that would have impressed himself before preparing for finding a portal, he arrived at the source of the shriek, shortly followed by Cyrus.

What they saw stunned them. A floating, pulsating mass of what appeared to be living lava roughly the size of a basketball was growling and assaulting another pulsating mass the size of a baseball. Except that one was on the ground and appeared to be formed from ice crystals and cubes of ice, and it appeared to be melting ever so slightly with each shriek it let out. Overcome with a primal, almost parental desire to protect, and the strength and courage that comes with it Dell dropped his bag and tore off his shirt and wrapped it around his hand. Cryus seeing what Dell was planning made way to stop him, but before his hand could reach Dell's shoulder he let out a blood curling yell and leaped at the mass of lava, grasping it with his covered hand and shoving it into the snow near the mass of living ice.

Dell let out a yell of pain as the lava creature began to burn through his shirt as he pushed his other hand atop his shirt covered hand, causing the snow engulfing the creature to start to hiss and pop. But he managed the pain with the knowledge that he was saving whatever the living ice was.

Seeing Dell struggle, Cyrus snapped out of his stupor and rushed over, lobbing heaps of snow onto the creature to weaken it and onto Dell's hands to cool them down.

After a short time of struggling the creature slowly began to struggle less until it was pulsating in a way that indicated that it was in some way asleep. Dell quickly fell onto his back, realization of what he had done washing over him as the pain in his hand became apparent.

Dell quickly put back on his now charred shirt before shoving his now seemingly sunburnt palm into the snow to relive the heat momentarily before making his way over to the ice creature.

He gingerly picked up the creature with his slightly burnt hand and began to carefully sprinkle snow onto it, feeling in his gut that that's what this otherworldly and helpless creature needed. After some time of slowly sprinkling the ice creature with snow and humming a soothing lullaby from his youth it began to stir, and when dell carefully laid it back onto the snow it shot up and began nuzzling Dells face as it happily floated, the snow Dell used to chill, and possibly even feed it. having become a part of it's pulsating mass.

"I think I'll name you ice cube" Dell said with a chuckle, and the mass, Ice Cube, let out a soft harmonious tune of joy, eliciting a smile from both Cyrus and Dell. "I think it likes the name Dell, good choice."

Dell continues to pet Ice Cube as if it were a cat as it continued to nuzzle against his face, "if only we knew where the closest settlement was" and at that Ice Cube began chirping and humming excitedly and began to move in a way that seemed to mean "follow me"

"It seems your new pet actually has that answer" Cyrus said gleefully.

"Well, we don't have the faintest idea of where to go, so let's see where it takes us and hope for the best" Dell replied joyfully as Ice Cube slowly floated its way deeper into the congested forest, almost as if it would know the easiest path a creature with two legs could take. The two young men quickly gathered their wits and followed the low harmonious tunes of excitement flowing from Ice Cube.