The damp air was the first thing I ever understood. It smelt of rotten wood and grass, and it was amazing to my small mind. It took a few hours for my sight to kick in, in the darkness. No sun reached under the surface, but that was okay. That's how we lived, after all.
Chirping was the next thing I could sense, quiet chirps from the eggs that surrounded me, and in the distance louder ones echoed, getting closer quickly. I couldn't help but hiss! How scary, those big things in the distance. (How cute must I have been?) However, their scent quickly reached the small nesting area, and instinct told me it was mother and father.
Then mother and father came, leafs in their much larger mouths. I was enchanted with the food, and standing up a weak limbs walked forward to the parents. The father walked around, checking and moving the eggs, while mother picked me up. To...admire me? Yes, admire me. Hissing did nothing, so I simply went limp, letting out small chirps for mother to let me down and eat. Soon enough she put me down, and I required, and feasted on the meal brought.
It was good.
•••
The air was getting colder, causing my siblings to chattered around me as we hid in the red crystal. We didn't know why, we didn't care why, but the crystal was so so warm....and it helped warm us, in the dampness. Soon, it would be time, and we would be taken outside. Mother and father didn't let us out often, always carrying us to drink, however now we would be able to roam, if only under their view.A sharp hiss to my side caused us to look, where two of the siblings fought. It wasn't uncommon, each of us tried different things. Some where fighters, attacking and practicing how to use their claws. Others ran and ran and ran, circling the large crystal and seeing how far they can run and jump. Some preferred simply surviving, learning how to use their noise to track food and water. Some did a mixture of them, however, they would never be as good as the ones who specialised. I was a runner, I loved the feeling of the air running though my growing quills, and couldn't wait to explore.
Mother and father soon came, along with the carer. The carer stayed with us for so long, making sure us babies had leaf and water. She was very kind, with her sky blue skin and white faded stripes, all of the siblings came up and started chattering as the adults checked over the kin. Soon they where on the move.
The rooms linked together, going up and down, however after going back and forth thousands of times, they where lead easily. The dirt, smooth under their feet felt cold, while the air slowly got more and more heated as they moved to the surface. A few fell behind as they struggled to make the jumps, or had to rest for a minute in order to carry on. The adults seemed to understand, simply sitting and mindless chirping about the outside world. Soon enough, they reached the entrance.
It was so worth the struggle of getting out, the crispy air felt nice against my scaly skin, and the air slowly drifted though. I wasn't to sure where we where, but that didn't matter. The large pond that they drank for sat by a huge waterfall, the the entrance of the burrow sat under a large stone arch. I loved it, the air felt so hot compared to the freezing damp ground.
The siblings ran and ran, some jumping on eachover and others swimming in the water. The adults stood watch, thought I wasn't sure why. They where safe, after all. The large trees, long grass, crystal blue pond and slowly falling leafs...
It was beautiful.
•••
It had been a long day, running back and forth, cleaning up the burrow. However, all did their job. Some dug out more areas to store food, others simply dug for the sake of digging. But, they in the end old food must be taken out and dead ends cleaned up. Then....as the daily jobs have been cared for, it wouldn't hurt to see the eggs.They where so small and cute. The eggs shined from daily cleaning and being cared for. Soon the eggs would hatch, just like they did for me and my siblings. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe in the future I would bare the next babies. They where so cute! I couldn't wait.
Or, did I have to wait? The world was so clear. Staring down at the eggs, I made my choice, and went to say goodbye. The siblings, my siblings, my family, didn't understand, however some remembered the stories father told of coming from a new place, and so they understood. The parents simply nodded and carried on, just like always. So, it was time.
Leaving the burrow was so simple, after doing it so much times, the black sky showed before me, and it was time to go. I hopped this was the correct choice. A small splash came from the water, drawing me close.
The night was hot, and the water from the pond was slowly leaving. I leave now, and they will be able to survive another day. Why was the sky getting warmer? It didn't matter, what did matter was to find a mate.
It was scary.
•••
I felt pleased, it had been a long journey to get where they where, to find water not taken by others, however up on a high snowy mountain they found it. My mate was a simple one, black scales with white and the most beautiful blue eyes, which stood out from my green, blue, and purple scales. We where quite the pair, but I'm sure ours will be most beautiful.I found him on a cliff, with bearly a burrow, kicked from his home for glowing a soft blue in the darkness. However, he was perfect, and I adored him. The burrow was so simple, just a storage and nesting shelter, nothing like what we had at home, however it made me happy.
The snow around them melted, causing the cold burrow to heat up, and it was tome to create eggs. Soon they would hatch into beautiful babies, to claim their place in the world. Sitting next to them, with my mate besides me, I only knew one thing.
It was perfect.
•••
It started out normal....everything was fine. We where cleaning, and taking ours to eat and drink. Three healthy young, so carefree and happy. We couldn't care for more, and had to eat the eggs to make sure we had enough food for the rest. However, dispute this we adored them. They where so colourful, almost all glowed that soft blue that reminded me of my mate, while their colours verified from almost pure black to a rainbow. It made me so happy.And then it started raining. It rained, and it rained, and it rained. It was hard to keep the burrow from becoming flooded, however with some work we moved the entrance to a small cave, to keep it safe. But the rain didn't stop. The waters from deep below kept rising, and rising, and rising. And within a few days, it was at their burrow.
We are scared. We where all scared, my young could tell something was wrong, if only I could have saved them....We knew, deep in our hearts, that the water would rise more, that we weren't High enough.
We looked at each-over, and within the quiet and darkness of night, snapped their necks so they wouldn't suffer the cold of wetness.
It was coming to an end, and curled up with each-over, we chirped quietly of our tales, the bodies of our young around us.
The air was so wet and damp, just like the times in the nest. So long ago....before the rains stopped coming.
It was quiet.
YOU ARE READING
Sunny Years
Storie breviA dark story of an Ory and their life. This is made for the BoB contest for the Ory skin!