SABIS the SURVIVOR

Chapter 4: A Tribal Visitor

Chapter 4: A Tribal Visitor

Desire for companionship filled his thoughts. Was there something in this mineral pool that had seeped into his pores? He imagined a life filled with people: short and tall, thin and stocky, quiet and verbose. He yearned so much for any partner on this journey, that even a strange creature from this pool would suffice─he did not wish to leave this mineral pool─it reminded him so much of his home caves and the people that he had left behind.

While floating on his back in the Sea of Serenity, he removed the moss from his ears, and listened to the drip, drip of the ice melt runoff that almost put him to sleep. He felt groggy and his arms felt heavy. His breathing slowed to where his body virtually coalesced with the warm water. Suddenly, he heard the boom of a tribal drum!

The sonorous boom bounced off of the cavern's walls and into his now patent ear canals. He felt the vibrations enter into his bones from the water and he almost choked on the water as he moved to the water's shore to retrieve his clothes. Had his desire for a companion been fulfilled or were his senses playing tricks on him?

For the first time in his life, Sabis felt claustrophobic. The air tasted recycled, the water's surface seemed to dance and his mind raced with thoughts that the cavern's ceiling was going to fall on his head. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and refocused on his breath. His loincloth still wet and his skin still moist, he sat back down in the pool and ran his right palm over the small stones that lined the pool's edge. Stroking his palm over their smooth contours helped soothe his mind and stabilize his breathing.

Staring up at the hole in the ceiling, he wondered if someone had followed him through that portal. Was that loud boom the same one he had heard when he had been sent away by the tribal Elders? Had someone followed him on his journey?

Sabis gathered his clothes, used the refurbished beast boots to wipe the excess water from his skin, then quickly put his clothes back on. He tied his damp boots together and then fastened them to his knapsack so that they could air dry. Now he had to consider the direction he should take. Should he move away from the horn sound or should he investigate it? The horn sound had reverberated more side to side than up and down, so he guessed that the person who played that note would be located along the ground in these caverns. After a brief moment, he decided to proceed forward figuring that his mission required him to move in this direction anyway. Brushing his rib spear on the earth so as to destroy any footprints he had made eased his fears. If someone was following him, then that person would have to track him in some other way. For good measure, he emptied his canteen reserve into his mouth, drank some then spit the rest out sending a spray of water leading away from his current direction.

This way, whoever is following me will think that I exited and left the pool going in the opposite direction, he hoped.

As an afterthought, he scooped up some of the emerald Seawater and placed it in his canteen.

Maybe this water holds some clues to what I seek on my quest.