Near the exit of a cave leading deep into the earth, a soft breeze blew, just barely entering the rocky crevice, grazing by the ears of a young teen in rags clutching a newborn in a thick swaddle. Small wisps of smoke almost escaping the cocoon. She tensed at the cool feeling of air brushing by her. The girl gazed wistfully back through the cave entrance to the outside, the sunlight warming her face, "Tsk…," and she turned back to the dark, stumbling back to what her family called home.
Her bare feet instinctually tiptoed across the mildly damp rocks beneath, her calloused feet long since hardened to adapt to the rough terrain. A steady drip of water fell at the sides of the cave splashing on the stalagmites below, reverberating throughout the cavern. The wrapped infant shifted in her grasp at the noise, reaching for the echoing trickle.
The teen gave a toothy grin down at the baby, lifting him to view the growing pillars, their pale blue hues illuminated by what little sunlight could reach it, "See this?" She placed her hand under the drip, catching a few drops in the palm of her hand, "It's what makes up our cave. Outside of the greys and browns, this is what we have. Pretty isn't it?"
He blinked at her hand, tilting his head as he poked at the mound of mineral, his stubby little fingers feeling the unusually smooth sediment. A small smile came to his face as he cooed. The teen smiled down at his antics, sighing contentedly, "Adorable…"
She shook her head free from her thoughts, she had to get the child back home safe, otherwise, her sister would make her rue the day she was born. Thinking of the possible consequences, she shuddered, pulling his hand away, "Come on bud," She started off deeper into the tunnels, "We have to go."
The soft pit-pat of her feet tore through the silence once more. The soft orange light of fire peeked around the glistening stone walls, her surroundings losing their slickness, becoming dry and grainy against the soles of her feet. Voices emanated from a makeshift doorway to her right, their declarations only becoming more belligerent and confrontational as she neared.
A harsh crashing noise reverberated through the hall, causing the bundle in her arms to whimper, "What else would you have me do then? All other choices have been exhausted, farming is practically impossible down here, and trade with anyone is non-existent!" Silence followed, no one else daring to speak.
She shied away from the opening, opting to quickly walk past. As she passed, a snort tore through the quiet, disgust ingrained into the offending sound, "And then there's that child… why do we keep-," the girl broke into a jog, tuning the hurtful comments out. The dormitories came into sight, only one still bright with candlelight.
Peeking into the room, her sister met her gaze while seated on the bed, arms and legs crossed, "Jakun…"
Jakun recoiled, holding out the baby, "A-ah, Hakai, you're still up? Of course, you're still up, here's Ton'neru. Safe and sound just like I promised!"
Her older sister transformed into a soft cloud of pale grey smoke, floating past her while taking Ton'neru out of her grasp, and with a soft thud she landed back on her bed, "I gave you an entire hour," She clutched close, and she leered at her sister, "And you were gone for three?"
Scuttling around the edge of the room as far from Hakai as possible, Jakun crawled onto her bed, attempting to look as innocent as possible, "I just wanted to show him around; he hasn't had a chance to explore!" She glanced to away, mumbling to herself, "Even if there isn't much to explore…"
Hakai sighed, placing Ton'neru down onto the bed, a melancholy look set in her eyes. She got up and walked over to her younger sibling, "Come on Jakun…," She sat down next to her, rubbing her back comfortingly, "It's not as bad as you think."
Jakun shot a sharp look at her sister, her clenched fists morphing into smoke, "But it is. We've lived down here our whole lives! We're just-!" Hakai covered her mouth, harshly whispering, "You want to wake everyone in the cavern?"
She turned away, leering at the bed, "No…," She sat up, "I'm just, I don't know, frustrated I guess."
"I know it's restrictive, but this is how we must live Jakun," Hakai stated.
Jakun jumped up, whirling towards her sister, "But why? Why don't we just fucking try to fix the damn problem?!"
Narrowing her eyes, Hakai put her hands on her hips, "Language young lady," Her eyes softened, "However, to answer your question, it's simply to dangerous. We don't have the resources nor the numbers to attempt a cure for our affliction. It's unfortunate, but it is necessary." It was true, there weren't many options besides the caves. An uncertain fate under the sun was the alternative. Not too appealing.
She huffed, hugging her knees to her chest. The room became quiet. Hakai let out a sigh, floating over to her side of the room, caressing Ton'neru's cheek as she went by, "Goodnight Jakun."
Jakun rolled her eyes.
The cavern was left dark, the entirety of the secluded clan asleep in their rooms, more peaceful than ever before. All except for the Meeting room, where a verbal war was transpiring in hushed tones.
A stalwart man with tan skin, muddy brown hair, and a pencil mustache massaged his temples as the other occupants of the tables bickered and argued.
"We have enough supplies to keep us alive and kicking for another three months at best. And our last venture into agriculture wasn't exactly the most successful project we've had down here, so why don't we try hunting around the cave entrance Gotta?" A younger member of the group asked.
Gotta rubbed his face, elbows set on the rock table, "We already do that, and the animals that live around us are growing more and more scarce as we hunt. It would only shorten the already small amount of time we have left." Sadly, it would cause what remained of the animals around them to migrate away from them, making it more dangerous.
An older man stood up and smacked his wrinkled hands on the stone, "The answer is right in front of us Gotta! Surely you see that! All we have to do is send out gather-."
"No."
A harsh silence overtook their 'council'. The man stared for a moment before taking his seat once more, crossing his arms and glaring at their de facto leader, "You know it is our only option, at least if we wish to remain standing, and not dead or emaciated." An older lady added on to his statement, "We've done it in the past with great success, we were supplied for years!"
He leered at them, his eyes darkening, "But at what cost? Before then we were over two hundred strong. But now?" His fists clenched unconsciously, the table cracking around his hands while smoke rose from his seat, "Now including us, we have less than a hundred."
The council members seemed to shrink as they glanced to each other nervously, some straight-faced and rigid while others were small and melancholy. A cough cut through the silence.
"Although that may be true, what else is there to attempt?" An elder questioned.
Gotta grimaced, grinding his teeth together he ran a hand through his short spiky hair, "I'll-I'll think of something. Something safer," He shook his head, calming himself, "And less expensive." Sending gatherers was a wildly successful way of bringing in food and other necessities as they hitched on to passing merchant groups and travelers, but the already minuscule stockpile of supplies they had would be all but empty after they sent them out. No wool or stolen jackets, almost no bandages for wounds, and even less sustenance as it would all be sent out in one risky bid for survival.
Another group seemed to perk up at his uncertainty, an older woman at the head of them, "If it is our only option remaining, then why don't we capitalize and excise the impure from the fold as well?"
Immediately, Gotta stood up, his calm demeanor long gone, "We are not sending out an infant. I will not stand for neonatal murder, nor sending out anyone as punishment." He snarled. The woman glowered at him, her lips stretched thin across her wrinkled face.
"After the stunt that whore pulled it is a wonder you allowed her to return, with child even! I demand we send her and her half-blooded spawn out to be torn to pieces!" A wave of raucous support came from her side of the table, Gotta's side remaining silent. She had smug grin etched into her ancient features. Gotta cocked his head up to the ceiling, taking a deep breath with his nose scrunched in thought. The woman had the support of the majority of the committee, and he knew they were steadfast in their beliefs, no matter how archaic they were. Deliberating in his mind, he ran through the different possible endings, routes to sway the vote in his favor. His form freezing, he came to one awful solution to the issue at hand. One that he was confident would work for the benefit of the clan.
But…
He would never be able to forgive himself. A small price to pay for the clan.
He brought his chin down and exhaled, setting his gaze to the pro-gatherers side. "I have a compromise for you all."
The table grew silent as Gotta stated his offer, a series of nods and affirmative grunts echoed in the room. Everyone stood, going back to their rooms, meanwhile, Gotta stared down at his hands, a remorseful glint in his eyes.
Light crept into the sister shared room from a single torch, rousing Ton'neru and Jakun from their slumber. Gotta let himself inside past the curtain of dark in the hallway, his face older then it was in the morning. Jakun overheard him waking Hakai while Ton'neru cooed in his crib, shifting around.
"Hakai…I'm so sorry." He whispered.
She brought herself up to a sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "What is-," she yawned, "is the matter, Gotta? Why the apologies, especially at an hour such as this."
The man's shoulders slumped as if a weight was placed on them. He steeled his face, "As now, you and your child are to leave the cave." Jakun tensed, her heartbeat skyrocketing as she sat up, staring wide-eyed at Gotta.
Hakai shriveled back, giving a nervous laugh as she pulled Ton'neru closer, "A pitiful attempt at a joke, but I suppose we all get our kicks one way or another." She closed her eyes, satisfied with her response. However, after a period of silence, she peeked an eye open, looking at Gotta, "Gotta?" He kept his gaze on the wall, refusing to look at her.
"We will supply you with two jackets as well as food and water for three days, if you aren't gone in a few hours, then I cannot guarantee you, nor Ton'neru safety down here."
She bristled, a bead of sweat making its way down her chin, "Gotta, you-you can't possibly be serious! You understand what will end up happening don't you?" He still bored holes in the wall with his eyes. He swallowed, "I wish you luck Hakai." He turned to leave.
Hakai jumped at him, her legs partially morphing as well, "NO! GOTTA YOU BASTARD!" But, he held her back, pleading with her, "Please calm down…"
She stood there, her face working through emotion after emotion, a blank veil of confusion being overtaken by white-hot anger. In the end, however, she deflated a grim resignation all that was left as she cast her eyes to Ton'neru in his crib, slightly disgruntled and grabbing at the air.
Jakun dragged herself out of bed in a fervent haze of anger, stomping towards the man, "What gives ya the right to-!" A single glance silenced her, Hakai's silver eyes wet with tears.
Her fury subsided as she shared a look with her older sister, clutching the rough fabric of her blanket to her chest. She leered at Gotta, "B-bring another coat." Although she tried to hide it, her stuttering belied her fear, as did the shaking of her legs.
Hakai shook her head, placing her hands on Jakun's shoulders, "It's much better for you here Jakun, you can't just-," But she was cut off as Jakun pulled away from her sister's touch, glaring at her with teeth bared, "I'm not staying here without ya!"
Hakai took in a shaky breath, steeling herself, "The caves are much safer, you would just be throwing your life away."
"Ya think I stay here because it's safe?!" She pointed a finger in her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Hakai blinked, taken aback by the outburst.
"I would've run away years ago if ya weren't here, hell, I almost did when ya," Her voice became a harsh whisper, "When ya left me…" Hakai felt a familiar guilt gnaw at her chest at her sister's dismay. She reached out unsurely, pulling her into a hug as Gotta slinked away, his face twisted in shame.
"We're going to be fine Jakun. Absolutely fine…" But even she knew that she was trying to convince herself.
A/N: Okay, so this is my attempt at adding more detail and depth to this story's beginning. Cut out a few extraneous things, added some more relevant stuff, the whole shebang. Feel free to leave a review about any criticism you might have. Hopefully, you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope I see you in the next one.