The Fragile the Broken and the Brave

39. Caverns

8.19.20

I finally got to the end, and I saw a young boy on the ground. He was crying out for his brother, but for some reason said brother was no where to be seen. I crouched down in front of the boy slowly, and he looked up at me with a snot filled face. The poor kid couldn't have been any older than 8 or 9, and I could immediately see what he was so distraught about. His leg was trapped underneath a pile of rocks; the poor boy. I didn't know where the sweet scent of mate was coming from, but the little boy was much, much more important. I have always been taught to put myself before others, and now was one of those times.

"Please help me!" the boy begged, and I cooed soft reassurances to him while trying to find a weakness in the rocks so I could lift them. It took me awhile of listening to his loud cries before I found one, and I slid underneath the weak rock so that I could lift up the boulder from directly underneath it. I managed to get my shoulders up into the crack, and I slowly pushed up against the strong barrier. My teeth were gritted together tightly as I shoved upwards, and I felt the rock beginning to give way. The little boy could also feel it, and I could tell that he was trying to drag himself free. His little grunts grated on my mind, but I continued to give it my all to lift up this bolder!

Finally, I managed to get the crushing mass high enough for the child to slither out, and I put the rubble back onto the hard ground as soon as he was out of range. My mind was on fire with adrenaline, and I walked over to him without much speed; I can't scare the poor thing, he was already almost crushed. "Hey buddy." I held my hands up to show him I was no threat, but he still looked a bit frightened of me. His little hand was over a gash on his leg to stop the bleeding, and his lower lip began to tremble at the speed of light. "Don't worry, I'm here to help."

"Hey! Get your creepy hands away from my brother before I put them somewhere you don't want them to be." A man around my age grabbed onto a vine like thing from the ceiling, and he jumped off the edge of a cliff. I watched as his body swung down towards us, and his foot stuck out. I was so mystified by his appearance that I didn't notice his posture until it was too late, and his bare, fish smelling foot slammed into my forehead. I fell backwards on the ground, and my body hit with a comical thud. "That's what I though." His arms crossed while he glared at me, but he didn't look for too long when his little brother whined again. He crouched down next to the young boy, and he stared into his eyes with an alien look. "Don't be worried, Orion. I can fix it, okay?"

"Big brother!" The kid was bouncing happily now that his older sibling was here, and his eyes shimmered brightly. The man placed his hands on the sides of Orion's knee where he was injured, and I saw a bright light flash from the two. My eyes squinted against the light, but I managed to keep them open for long enough to see the shining die. I noticed that Orion's knee was healed, but it was the least of my worries when the elder of the two collapsed on his side. "Varian you shouldn't use all of your magic like that!"

"Don't worry about me. I only have a bit, but I would use every last drop on you." Varian's hand gently brushed over Orion's cheek in a single comforting motion, but the little dude still held a lot a worry in his wavering green eyes. "Now tell our shadow to get over here." Both of them looked at me, and I fidgeted while playing with my hands. I moved closer to them, and the sweet scent of soulmate got much stronger until it was overwhelming me. I'm going to assume that Varian is my soulmate... I need to get foot cleaner; and probably wash my face. I don't need fungus. "Who are you and why are you here."

"Well I heard your brother scream, and I had to come help him."

"How did he get injured?" Orion had stumbled away from us to go play with something, and I sat down right next to Varian. His scent and presence was driving me insane, but I hid it pretty well. I can't lose focus.

"I think that those rocks fell on him. I just came in time to get him out."

"I could have helped him just as well."

"I have no doubt that you could, but you weren't here, and I didn't want him to be stuck for much longer."

"Are you suggesting that I can't care for my baby bro?"

"No, not at all!"

"I will kill you."

"Please don't."

"I'll consider it... Now stay around for dinner; I'll decide then."

"I really have to get back to my group, with all due respect."

"Oh come on, I can tell that you want to stay in your heart."

"Fine, I'll stick around."

Varian sat up, and I felt my heart begin to beat a bit faster with every elegant movement he did. The fluidity in all of his actions tempted me even deeper into his trap, and I knew that I probably shouldn't be falling so hard this soon. Stupid bond; we can't overwhelm him too soon. "You okay? You seem a bit distant." I dragged my eyes away from his body finally, and I get the feeling that he knows what he's doing to me.

"Yeah, I'm okay." My hands were slightly quivering again, and he looked at me with no belief in his gaze. "What?"

"You say that like I've killed your pet rabbit or something."

"I don't have a rabbit."

"Duh, it was sarcasm stupid!"

"Meanie." My guard was flying down faster than it had for anyone else before, and I felt the need to throw it back up. Removing those walls leaves me totally defenseless to being hurt by someone else; I don't know if I can handle a heart break again. The first one nearly killed me.

"Sensitive."

"Wooooow." I crossed my arms, and I felt my personality slide into the relaxed side. It's the one I usually use around my friends; the joking, laid back side.

"Come on, I wanna show you my room!" Varian grabbed onto my lower arm, and I tripped over my own feet when he pulled me down another tunnel. As a person with slight claustrophobia from my papa, this is extremely alarming. "Alright, so it isn't much, but it's cozy!" The bedroom was a baren cavern, and there was basically nothing but stone and a bed of moss in it. However, I could tell he was proud of it, so I went along with it.

"Vari, dinner is done!"

"Yay. Come on."