Chapter 10: A Heavy Burden

Ducky walked through the dark cave, that she found herself in. It was pitch black and silent, all that she could hear was her fearful breathing and her heartbeat. She did not know where she was going, it felt like an invisible hand was pulling her through the cave. She was very scared now. "Is this what the Trial will be like?" she thought is dismay. She walked on aimlessly through the darkness and that is when she saw it: Light. There was light coming from a cavern just up. Ducky immediately felt much better seeing the light, she ran over to the light. She entered the cavern and slipped on a slope that she had not seen.

"WHOA, OH NO!" cried Ducky as she fell, she was falling down a slippery, stony slope and heading towards the ground at an uncontrollable speed. Ducky screamed, there was nothing she could do to slow her descent towards the hard ground, she was only a few feet away.

SPLASH!

Ducky plunged into icy water that she had not know was there, the sheer coldness of the water knocked all the air out of her, but once she regained her bearings she swam up to the surface. Ducky gasped for air as she broke the surface and looked around. She was in a large circular cavern that was largely filled with water that was usually as still as rock but was no longer due to all the ripples Ducky sent out when she fell into the water, there was a small bank on the shore and a hole in the roof where the light came from, the whole cave glittered as the light that penetrated the cave was reflected off hundreds of shiny stones along the cave wall. Ducky quickly swam to the shore but she had trouble getting out due to her uncontrolled shivering.

"Grab my hand" said a voice.

Ducky looked up to see a dark green Swimmer about her age standing on the bank, he held his hand out to her. Ducky grabbed his hand and was pulled from the water by the dark green Swimmer, who she suddenly recognised.

"Swayer?" she asked in astonishment.

"Who else?" replied Swayer as he pulled Ducky onto the shore. Ducky lay there shivering for a while, Swayer held her close too his warm body, in an attempt to keep her warm and finally after a time Ducky stopped shivering and looked up at Swayer, she had a confused expression on her face.

"Where are we?" she asked in a frightened voice.

"I haven't got a clue Ducky, but at least your all right" replied Swayer

Ducky stared at the shiny stones, they were beautiful. Then Ducky's eyes caught sight of one shiny stone that drew her attention, A round Sapphire that was the colour of light blue on the outside but when she stared into it she could almost see a darker shade of blue in it's depths. The light that hit the sapphire was utterly mesmerising and it made the surface of the gem look like it was moving, it was like looking into water.

"Wow, this is beautiful it is it is" said Ducky.

"I agree" said Swayer. but his voice changed to a more serious and grim tone "so how have you been Ducky" he asked.

Ducky looked at Swayer with a blank expression. "I am fine yep yep yep".

But Swayer was not fooled, he looked into her eyes with a sad expression and put a hand on her shoulder.

Ducky almost broke down when he did this, she took her breath and despite the promise she had made to her mother she began telling Swayer all that had happened from when she learned about the Trial of Destiny.

When she finished, she was breathing heavily. Swayer held her hand "I am sorry Ducky, truly I am, but there is hope, remember that your mother is teaching you Wisdoms that will allow you to survive" Swayer closed his eyes and a small tear fell down his cheek. "I wish I had a mother like yours, I never knew my mom."

Ducky looked shocked now it was her turn to comfort Swayer. "I am sorry I am I am" she said putting her hand on Swayer's shoulder.

"I lost my mother to Sharpteeth before I hatched" said Swayer "I know that your mother will do all she can to protect you, don't waste her knowledge, for you are going to need to listen to her in order to master the Wisdom's.

Ducky nodded. "I will Swayer I promise" she said.

Swayer smiled then said "Ducky if ever you fell like you are failing then I suggest that you look for a elderly Swimmer called Cyrest, he will help you".
Ducky nodded but suddenly everything went black.

Ducky practically jumped with a cry of surprise as she was woken up by her mother. Ducky looked around to find herself back in the Hidden Clearing instead of a crystal cave and with her mother instead of Swayer.

"You alright dear?" asked her mother, she was wearing a concerned expression on her face.

Ducky yawned tiredly and nodded.

Sura smiled, at her and raised herself up, Ducky got up feeling awfully weary, as she went to eat her breakfast. That's when she noticed her mother eating from several large piles of green food but there was a whole range of different plants in each pile. Ducky knew that her mother, being an grown-up needed a lot of food to sustain herself but this was way more then what she would usually have.

"Are you okay mama?". she asked sounding a little worried.

"I'm fine dear" replied her mother

Ducky was not satisfied with this answer but before she could bring it up, her mother got up from her meals and walked to the stream.

"Come Ducky" she called.

Ducky followed her mother to the water's edge, there her mother dipped her head in the water as if she was taking a drink, but she also put her arms in as well. Ducky looked at her mother in a confused manner, she had no idea what her mother was doing or what she wanted her to do, Ducky watched but her mother did not raise herself out of the water for a while. Finally Sura pulled her head and hands from the water and in her hands was a strange blue, green water plant. Sura laid it on the ground in front of Ducky.

"This plant Ducky is called Night Light" she said "It is called that because when you crush it". Sura took the plant and crushed it in her hand, then she lowered her hand into the water and mentioned Ducky to watch. "It glows" she finished. Sura and she opened her hand to reveal the same plant but it was now glowing with an eerie blue light.

Ducky opened her mouth in amazement.

"This plant grows near underwater caves and sometimes inside them, where there is light" said Sura. "Ducky when you do the Trial the cave that you will swim through will be pitch black but with these-".

"I will be able to see I will I will" said Ducky in excitement.

Sura nodded "But you should know dear that the glow doesn't last forever, but the larger the plant the brighter the glow and the longer it will last. Do you understand?".

"Uh ha uh ha" said Ducky nodding her head.

"Come dear it is time we moved on to the big stuff" said Sura. Though in her mind she was worried if Ducky would be able to master this and that this would not just be another set back before the Trials.

It was evening and Ducky was in her mother's embrace, she was holding on to her mother tightly and crying all the while, it had been a long, hard day for Ducky, she had finally begun to learn the actual Swimmer Wisdoms but they were way more harder then she thought. She listened carefully when her mother explained that how underwater her sniffer could be just as effective as Chomper's on land, what the different types of currents were and how to navigate each one to her advantage, how her hearing will become vital when she does the Trial and about different types of manoeuvres.

The theoretical sessions had not gone that bad for Ducky it was when the practical sessions began that things started to get harder. She began with basic manoeuvres but they were all ones that she knew or mastered but when they moved onto the more complex manoeuvres she kept on leaving with massive bruises all over her body as she messed up each one. When she tried to use her sniffer, she found it no different from what it was like on land which was really frustrating for her.

Finally when she tried to navigate the currents it all became too much. She was swept away three times and on each occasion her mother had caught her by the tail and pulled her to safety. Finally when she was doing a hearing exercise she lost control even though she was doing well, but her mind was to clouded with fear. She had got out of the water and ran to the nest where she broke down into tears.

Now Ducky was within her mothers embrace and faring no better then she had the day she learned about the Trials.

Sura held her daughter in her embrace, she looked very worried for Ducky The day had started well enough but at the moment it appeared that Ruphus was right about Ducky not being ready to learn the Wisdoms. Sura needed to come up with a new approach or Ducky would not be ready to face the Trial and if she wasn't ready...

Sura shuddered at the thought. She gently caressed her daughter.

"I can...not...do it...no...no...no" sobbed Ducky in despair.

"You will do it dear" said her mother in an encouraging voice. "I know you can" Sura nuzzled her little one.

"I am...so...scared" said Ducky, trembling.

"I know dear, but your safe now" said Sura in a soft voice "don't let fear rule you dear".

Ducky nodded, though she was still in tears, she held on tightly to her mother like a frightened hatchling. "But she has a good reason to be scared" thought Sura. Then an idea hit her. "I'll tell you what dear, when the Bright Circle rises we will go home and you can play with your friends, okay".

Ducky looked up at her mother, she looked much more brighter. "I would like that they much mommy yep yep yep".

Sura nodded "Just remember your promise dear" she said calmly. "But come along my little one, it is time for sleep".

Ducky nodded and lay down beside her mother and almost instantly fell asleep, due to how tired she was.

Sura looked at the night sky for a while after Ducky had fallen asleep, she pondered the options she had ahead of her, she had allowed Ducky this welcome respite and in that time she would also lay her eggs. But she was close to despair, the Wisdoms did appear to be way too challenging for Ducky at her young age and yet they were her only chance. Sura knew that she was in a very tough predicament and her daughter was bearing a burden that was way beyond her young and happy innocent self to bear.

If only Sculra had not chosen her. Sura felt her blood boil in anger when she thought of Sculra, if she wasn't around then Ducky would be safe. "Then perhaps it is time to get rid of her for good" thought Sura.

This was highly unusual thinking of Sura as she never considered killing, it just wasn't in her nature but in this case she would do anything to protect her little Ducky.

"I know what I'll do" thought Sura in resolve before turning in for the night.