A World Below Us (Ark Aberration/Final Fantasy 14)

Finding A Place

We landed directly in the middle of a swampy lake. The dire bear was roaring above us, not willing to take the jump. As I kept myself afloat, I watched him back up from the ledge defeated. There was lots of splashing and coughing from beside me. "Jackie!" Alphinaud panicked. Alphinaud can't swim. I remembered. Quickly, I paddled toward him and took hold of his arm, then started dragging him to the swamp's bank. Something sharp jabbed into my foot, causing me to yelp and let go of Alphinaud. I turned to see a piranha gripping my ankle with it's teeth. I tried to shake it loose but it wouldn't come off. Blood started to seep from the bite. I willed myself to ignore it, grabbing Alphinaud once again and swimming towards the bank. As soon as I felt land beneath my feet, I full on picked Alphinaud up and started running through the water, the piranha still clutching my ankle. Once we were out of the water, I gently set Alphinaud down and fell to the floor exhausted. After yanking the piranha from my foot, I said, "Wow, that was sure something, huh?" There was no response. "Um... Alphi?" Still nothing. "ALPHI?!" I jumped up and looked at my friend, who was laying motionless on the floor where I had set him. I rushed over and checked his pulse. He was still alive, but unconscious. "Oh Alphi. I really gotta teach you how to swim sometime." There was a loud snapping sound. I leaped up, my tail bristling. A ginormous crab thing stood about 15 feet away, snapping it's pinchers at two sarcosuchus. "Uh, time to go." I said to myself as I picked Alphinaud up once again. I turned around and headed into the woods, not knowing where the path would take me.
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"This seems like a good place to spend the night." I had found a cave. It had a large opening on each side. One lead to the swamp, one lead into the forest. I set Alphinaud down against a wall and sighed. He was still unconscious. I couldn't help but feel it was somehow my fault. As I got to work building a fireplace, there was coughing from behind me. I turned to see that Alphinaud had woken up, and was looking around like he had no idea where he was. "Jackie? Where are we?" He asked. I ran up and gave him a hug, which surprised him. "Uh, sorry, I'm just... I'm glad that you're ok." I said, abruptly releasing him. "No, no, it's ok. I'm glad you're safe too." He replied. I couldn't help but smile. "So... how exactly did we end up in this cave?" He asked. "Oh right! After we jumped into the water to get away from the dire bear, you passed out because you couldn't swim." I said. Alphinaud blushed. "Sorry." He mumbled. "No, I wasn't putting you down! I was just recapping, that's all! You did nothing wrong!" I honestly felt like an idiot just then. "I got you to shore, and was resting when I heard snapping. There was a giant black and purple carb fighting sarcos, so I picked you up and left." I continued. "After a while of walking, I found this place. And here we are." I finished. Alphinaud was staring at me. "You... you carried me all the way here? I wasn't heavy, was I? Does your back hurt? Oh gosh I'm so sorry-" "Alphi! Chill! I'm ok as long as you're ok. The only thing that hurts is my ankle..." I looked down at the fine teeth marks and dried blood. "What happened to you?!" Alphinaud asked, stunned. "Piranha happened. But guess what! Now we have dinner!" I gestured to the deadly fish roasting over the fireplace. "Also, I collected some rocks, wood, fiber and berries. They're in that box over there." I pointed across the cave to a wooden storage box. "I was thinking we could build a foundation here. A base for survival until we find a way to get back to Eorzea." Alphinaud nodded. "That's not a bad idea!" He said. My stomach growled. "Hungry?" Alphinaud asked. I nodded and looked toward the fish, licking my lips. "Alright then, let's eat!"