Earthpatriot117: I actually thought about doing that at one point, but then cut it because it probably would have been too predictable (as you just proved ;) or unrealistic, if that's even possible for a story like this xD
Cbassattack: Bigger deviations to come! We just have to GET there first! ;)
Anonymous: Thank you so much for your review, and the feedback on my grammar! That's good to know!
xxxx
If a friend ever wanted to go to an amusement park with me and they're the kind of person who enjoys fast and make-your-stomach-drop kinds of rides, they would be sorely disappointed. I can't stand any of those rides, and no matter how much peer pressure I might be put into, I would always refuse. I guess part of it is because one of my cousins 'tricked' me into a ride once—a river rafting ride. There was a huge drop at the end that made my stomach queasy just watching other people go down, and so I refused to go when my cousin wanted to take me.
But then he told me that he filmed the ride while he was on it, and he could show me it wasn't so bad aside from the one drop at the end. I'd watched the footage he had taken, and it looked smooth besides the single drop. I had fully believed him, willingly going on the ride. To this day, I still regret it.
Anyway...I was reminded a lot of that river rafting ride and the absolutely horrible three drops I had to endure because of my cousin. It felt like I was falling out of the sky, like my stomach was was going to fly up and out of my mouth.
I also hate swinging rides thanks to my dad who once got me to go on a ferris wheel. It had the options of still or motion, and we'd accidentally gone on the motion type without knowing it. Let's just say that my stomach had a rough time that day. I was sure that the swinging ferris wheel was what a rollercoaster would feel like, too (and thankfully I've never been on one of those.) I even think it may have been where my fear of heights stemmed from.
Why did it seem like I was back on the ferris wheel?
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to find that...Trico had caught me? Looking up, I could see his face. He was holding me in his mouth by my orange shirt, just like he had when he'd caught the boy! How it wasn't ripping I'll never know, but I instantly chased the thought away.
He'd caught me after I jumped! He did it! I did it! We did it! Nothing could compare to the concrete joy that swept through every fiber of my being when Trico turned, setting me on the wooden ramp gently as a giant creature such as him possibly could. I blinked, stray tears escaping along with a loud laugh.
My relief didn't last for long, though. Up ahead was another glass eye that had to be taken care of, or Trico would refuse to go any further. It sat atop a second cage like the first, and I had to shove it into oblivion. Eager to get away from the edge of the ramp, I started to take my first steps forward towards the next eye.
The wood was rough beneath my feet, and I soon realized that I had to be careful about getting splinters. Trico followed slowly behind, coming to a complete halt when we reached our next destination. Well, not really. Trico would remain where he was, and I had to jump off a fairly high section of the ramp that broke off.
I didn't have to jump right away, right? I could just stand here and admire the view! Stone buildings all around us...the white birds we had been hearing all this time soaring above and beyond...the intricate wooden structures that made a playground out of the sky. I could even see the tall, pointy pillars where we had first spotted the two evil Tricos right across from me! It was crazy how far we'd come already, and to see it from where I stood now was almost surreal.
A howl from Trico broke me out of my foggy haze, and it was then that I knew I had to stop stalling. He didn't deserve to be tormented by the glass eye! I had to put a stop to it in return for saving me!
It's not as bad as the last drop, I told myself. I sat on the edge of the ramp so I could make it even easier, shoving off with my arms. Legs burning when they made contact with the bottom part of the ramp, I regained my bearings as soon as my frantic mind would allow, turning my attention then to the new obstacle before me. The eye was faced to the right, just in front of Trico as if whoever had been involved in its making had known that a Trico or two would eventually find their way up.
I grabbed onto the cage's bottom handle, struggling to pull it backwards towards its doom.
Then I stopped.
Wait. If I did this, then I would be forced to make another jump—a jump just as bad as the first!
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt myself moving backwards along with the cage. Why was I moving backwards?!
In all of my thinking and worrying, I had accidentally let go of the handle! Now it was shoving me back along with it, and I had no choice but to scream and get the heck out of the way on a small side platform of the ramp! A rope attached to the falling cage whipped past just far enough so it wouldn't hit me.
I'd made yet another mistake. The platform I had chosen to make my safe haven split and cracked, leaving me no other choice but to leap to solid ramp and run faster than the wind towards the main platform. Now that the eye was no longer in place, Trico was fearless as he raced by my side on the opposite ramp. Finally, I made it to safety...
But it turned out that the platform wasn't so safe. It began to break on all sides, leaving nothing but a sliver! If I stayed any longer, I would crumble along with it! No time to waste, I didn't even bother shutting my eyes. I just went for it, stretching my legs into the open sky as Trico positioned himself to prepare for the impossible.
He screeched in vain when he missed and I was sent careening downwards even further below into the pit of nothing.
I was tempted to just close my eyes and wait for the end, but this moment was critical. No matter what happened, I had to keep my eyes open!
In the game, this part in particular had taken place in slow motion. During my first jump, I hadn't realized exactly how fast I was falling, and that realization was only hitting me now that I was more prepared. A gray blur swooped directly towards me. Subconsciously expecting this, I was ready to reach my arms out and grab onto Trico's tail tightly as humanly possible. I was sure that if we weren't in such a rush to escape the wooden ramp that was now completely falling apart, Trico would no doubt be crying out in pain.
Nothing more than a ragdoll now, I didn't have any other option but to stay clinging to Trico's tail. He was too busy running from the destruction that was right on our literal tail, and running so fast that I couldn't even begin to think about trying to climb up to his back! My stomach threatened to bring up the blue energy I'd eaten for breakfast when the beast leaped without warning to a fragile ledge hardly big enough to hold him. Heart picking up speed once again, my mind raced along with the vital organ as I pushed myself upwards. Trico was still enough now that I could climb his body, but he was struggling to stay afloat. The ledge wouldn't support his weight much longer!
"Hang in there, buddy!" I encouraged, putting one arm forward after the other. He'd saved my life more times than I could count already, so it was my turn to save his! Pushing myself harder, I reached the top of his head and didn't think twice about jumping off to grab a stray blue pot that blocked me from getting to a fallen tree trunk.
Not for long! The only problem was steering clear of Trico's frantic talons as they clung desperately to the ledge, slipping erratically and dangerously close to ripping my robe to shreds. The second the pot tumbled out of sight, Trico gripped the trunk to surge himself up. I decided to let it slide that he hadn't given me a warning when there was no way he could have done such a thing. I was already expecting the action anyway, blindly clenching my hands around his feathers before he could get too far.
I was falling up until my flailing body stilled and I could no longer hear my pounding heart. It was only when my mind settled and I could think somewhat clearly did I peek open one eye...darn. Without even realizing it, I'd closed my eyes through that whole ordeal at some point! Old habits die hard...
Too bad there wasn't any epic music playing in the background to accompany our tremendous accomplishment. Looking out over the edge, I was surprised to feel the opposite of nauseous. Amazement replaced the queasy feeling as I searched for where we had just escaped, but couldn't find any of the ramps. They were completely and utterly gone as if they had vanished into thin air!
Trico was alive! I was alive! We'd just saved each other, though I would never come close to saving Trico's life as many times as he would end up saving mine.
I couldn't help but voice my gratitude for surviving the impossible in the form of a whoooooo that reverberated from one stone pillar to the next. Trico decided to join in with one of his famous moooooos, mimicking my call and scaring a flock of birds into flying higher up.
"We did it," I laughed. We were alive! We could still move onward! I turned to see a set of stairs in need of climbing. "Come on, buddy."
Trico followed me into what seemed like a mini cavern type of room. Wood and rubble rested in a mountain to the left, and a hallway to the right. Trico's steps became slower and wary, and suddenly he let loose a series of intense growls and snarls that could only mean one thing: more of the guards were waiting for us down below. My thrill of surviving the collapsing ramps dulled, returning to a sense of dread. I was going to have to make these guards chase me so I could get rid of the glass eye that sat atop a bridge overhead, and I wasn't really in the mood to be chased. Who ever was?
Taking a peek inside the room, a guard stood at the ready to the left. It was so creepy just standing there, not even taking notice of my rather loud companion. I couldn't see the other guard yet, but they were waiting for one thing and one thing only—me. Any kid that would wander aimlessly into their clutches to toss into a door. My objective? Get to the ledges straight ahead fast as possible while avoiding capture; I doubted if I was caught that Trico would come to my rescue due to his fear of the eye.
You're faster than them, my inner voice comforted.
First goal: ledge. I took a deep breath and just went for it, jumping into the dirt and pebble-filled pit. The guard to the left shot awake, instantly reaching his arms out like he was asking for a hug. Yeah, right! I dodged, racing up a wooden ramp in its direction. The second guard came into view so unexpectedly I had to stop for a second to analyze my situation. He was carrying a spear aimed at no one other than Trico, leaving me an opening to run past!
Go, go, go! I inwardly screamed at myself. The ledge blocked my view of anything else, so I couldn't tell how close the free-handed guard was to grabbing me as I jumped up to the first ledge and then the second, pushing myself up to the next level with a grunt. Blue butterflies made themselves known, following my every move. If there were blue butterflies, then there had to be a barrel nearby. I knew there was some toothpaste even higher above, but I didn't have time to get Trico a treat, not with strange green magic being shot at me! Random patterns stuck to my skin, fitting perfectly into my tattoos like pieces of a puzzle. I swatted at the butterflies, my movements becoming slower...
Finally, I reached the chain I would have to climb and use to get to the glass eye. This chain in particular was different from all the rest I had been forced to climb; this chain didn't exactly swing, but slid. How fun! I gripped the metal ending with both hands, shoving it to the back wall. I ran to the best of my ability with the heavy object to the opposite side, making sure not to let go—the chain would take care of the rest!
I was flying, soaring to where I needed to be on the bridge. Daring to glance down for only a second, I spotted the two guards below. Their hands clasped together, spurting out never ending strands of the green patterns that stuck themselves to my sensitive skin.
Ready...and...
I leapt off the chain straight towards the bridge, my legs screaming as if I'd landed in a pot of boiling water. But I had to keep going! There wasn't any time to stop and wallow in my pain! Gripping the handle to the eye, I ignored the fire that shot through my legs, pushing both arms forward across the bridge. The glass eye gave in, falling with style to the floor below and shattering into a million pieces. From the bridge, Trico roared. Now that his glass enemy was gone, he was no longer afraid to jump down into the pit and attack the guards!
Snarling, he took one in his mouth, shook, and tossed it to the stone walls for them to take care of the rest. He grabbed hold of the other guard, deciding to simply crush it just by stepping harshly onto its head. Green gas exploded and the guards were no more, the single spear dropping instantaneously before it could pierce my friend. Trico glanced up at me to check and make sure I was alright, then returned to smashing the guards' remains into dark oblivion.
He was moving too much for me to just jump down on him; I would only succeed in flying off and spraining a leg!
"Trico!" I called. "It's okay! They're all gone!"
His ears twitched at my voice and he glanced up again, his battle-ready stance loosening. Pink eyes merged to black once more, and I released a sigh of relief, preparing myself to leap onto a soft bed of feathers.
One more terrifying jump off of his head later and I was walking casually across a metal railway that led to the outside.
xxxx
Wind howled like waves in a distant ocean, birds chirping happily close by. If I looked to the right, I could see a flock breezing past so close that I wished I had the ability to fly and join them. But I had my own giant bird to take care of, a certain Trico that needed to be let out through a gate.
Coming to the edge of a spiral staircase, I circled down and down until I made it safely to the grassy floor. Trico moved closer to the gate as I placed my hands on top of the lever, patting it with a talon to try and break through. He stepped back when the gate slid open, wary of yet another glass eye that caught his attention. Rumbling, he slinked backwards on the grassy ledge, dark eyes turning pink once again. I stared at the eye myself, the feeling of queasiness I was starting to get used to striking the center of my gut.
I shook myself out of it, grabbing a handful of feathers to climb up Trico's body. His attention ripped away from the eye as he watched me climb, and while I still had such attention, I pointed a finger to the stone ledge above where butterflies swirled about two barrels of sugary toothpaste. The feather tied to my hair intact, Trico was able to follow its movement and lift himself onto his hind legs so I could scoot myself to the ledge from his head.
"I know what you want," I cooed in a baby type of voice, bending down to pick up one of the two barrels. Trico grumbled, dark eyes turning the yellow I knew so well by now. Throwing my arms out, I tossed the barrel to him and he caught it in midair, fully expecting the treat!
I wished I'd kept the second, staring out to the cages I would have to leap across. It was another one of the many moments that I hadn't been looking forward to at all, and now it was finally here. I would rather go through everything we had again if only to stall and keep the moment from coming quicker. The cages hung menacingly in the air hundreds of feet, and I was going to have to jump across them sooner or later. Once I jumped to the first cage, there was no going back to the safety of the sturdy ledge. I would be suspended along with the cages, and my stomach wasn't very fond of the idea.
Logic screamed at me not to do it, that if I made one single mistake, it would all be over. At least, I thought. Why couldn't I just get an answer whether or not I was invincible like the boy?! It would make things so much easier if I was able to come back no matter how many times I messed up, and if I wasn't, then...
I think I threw up a little in my mouth.
Just jump to the first cage and see how it is, my inner voice suggested. You're probably making a big deal out of things when they're really not so bad.
I wasn't so sure about that. The players I had watched in walkthroughs screamed their heads off, especially if the boy fell.
Trico whined from behind me down below on the grassy hill like he was telling me to get a move on. We couldn't stay here all day! He would jump to me as soon as I got rid of the eye, and it was the thought of having a safe pillow of feathers to land on soon that convinced me I needed to get started, at least.
Backing up to the railing far as it would allow, I braced myself for the hundredth time and leapt!
The cage wobbled, forcing me to grab instantly to the chain that hung in the middle.
"Don't worry!" I shouted to Trico in an attempt to distract myself from the inevitable. "I'll get rid of that thing in no time!"
Trico responded by letting out what sounded like a cross between a whine and a howl.
I sighed, turning back around to face my worst enemy: heights. Not even my fear of being chased by the guards compared to the anxiety that now plagued my weak and fragile mind!
At least I didn't have to climb up the chain attached to the first cage. I was able to 'simply' jump to the ledge on the next, which actually wasn't too far.
See? You're making a big deal out of nothing, my inner voice scolded. The problem was lifting myself to the very top of the cage.
What did I do to deserve this? I whined inwardly. The thought that this wasn't so bad was immediately swept away by the wind.
Now I had to jump to the next chain, wrapping my hands around the cold and rusty metal as soon as I made contact with the slightest brush against my skin.
The third cage was the worst. Once I landed, I nearly toppled over the edge when it protested under my weight! Arms flailing, I grabbed the middle chain before my feet could slip and I would go tumbling down to a concrete building beneath. The last chain (or last chain I had to jump to) was directly ahead now.
All you have to do is slide down. With that thought in mind, I leaped and the chain clinked as I slid to what seemed like a wooden seesaw. Once I dropped, it bent underneath its new occupant, and it took everything I had not to look down as it moved. The seesaw was at a high enough point now, and I could just run to the top while being careful about gaining splinters in my feet. I ran and ran until I could run no more, the seesaw beginning to dip under my weight. Before it could drop any further, I jumped and missed the first ledge I had to grab hold of!
Luckily, a second was available. One hand gripped the ledge and then another, until finally I could swing myself around to the middle ledge of the eye at its bottom structure.
Wind whistled sharply, signaling just how high I was now. I stood in place against a pink section of the eye, just barely able to hear snorting and growling from behind. I couldn't look, I couldn't look!
I was insane! This was insane!
The dreamcatcher-like objects that dangled from the eye on either side swung back and forth in the sharp wind that whistled past my ears. Had I really managed to climb up those weird cloth things?
I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this.
I didn't care how many times I told myself I couldn't do it by now. I was never going to do this!
Why hadn't I eaten anything from the two barrels I'd thrown to Trico? My empty stomach growled with impatience, begging for more of the tasty blue energy. But I didn't have any more energy, especially not way up here.
Light turned to dark. I fought to keep my weary eyes open, fearful that I would fall if they closed. Trico's growls mixed in with my stomach, comforting me somewhat that he was still there on the hill waiting for me to destroy the stupid eye. But I couldn't!
I just couldn't!
Dark turned to light. Was it really my fourth day of being stuck inside a video game? Had I really stayed on the eye all night long? I didn't care. I wasn't going up any higher than this!
My arms and legs wouldn't stop shivering when night came again, the sharp and howling wind at its worst. I was on the verge of giving into my need to sleep, yet wide awake and alert at the same time. I wasn't going to literally fall asleep!
Morning peeked over the dark once again.
Two nights...I've been stuck up here for two nights...
And Trico had been stuck below, absolutely frozen in his fear of the eye before him. So much so, that he wasn't going to come to my rescue anytime soon.
We were both in trouble. If I didn't get food or water soon, I was going to meet my end in a worse way than falling off the eye. I had to keep going!
I shook myself out of my hazy daze, jumping up to grab the first ledge in front of a blue section of the eye. I moved to the right until I could move no more, jumping up to the next where a broken hole awaited me to climb through. I kept careful mind that this was glass, and I could easily cut my hand by accident. I lowered myself and dropped to the very bottom ledge, jumping up twice until I came across a second broken piece. Was it just me or were the birds chirping louder?
The glass eye wiggled as I moved. I stopped, allowing it to regain its balance. Only when it stilled did I move through the hole, now at the eye's full height. A planet-like dome dangled ahead. Too engrossed in my hunger and not even thinking, I leapt towards the chain attached.
What was even worse than the eye were the tiny metal ledges I could barely fit on.
Left, right, left, right.
Yes, I'd thought the eye was bad. But standing on top of the metal beam was definitely worse; I wished that I'd wasted two days up here instead of the eye.
I was more than petrified, deciding to get on my knees and crawl to the lever I had to lift and push. Trico scooted backwards as the large eye began to slide in his direction. The metal lever suddenly broke off, shattering just as it hit the grass hill. Leftover pieces nearly shot at Trico, inches from hitting him in the face. I watched the glass eye disappear into the depths below, pride and relief rolling into me all at once.
Neither pride nor relief lasted long. I was still stuck on the metal ledge, and there was no way for me to get down without Trico! I remained in position on my knees, watching the cat dog through the metal holes as he jumped from the hill to a stone, spiral staircase behind the round dome he sent crashing to its doom. So determined to get to me that I didn't even need to call his name, he sat atop the staircase and waited for me to make my last jump...for now.
I stared down at him and he stared back up, eager to have his friend back after two whole days had gone by. Was it really my fifth day stuck inside a video game? I shook away my disbelief, returning to concentrating on the situation at hand.
Just one last drop, just one last drop. He'll catch you, I tried to comfort myself to no avail.
Just do it, my empty stomach snarled. I needed a barrel of energy, and I needed one now. Maybe even two or three...
As if my hunger was a physical being, the craving for food shoved me over the edge and right towards Trico!
I couldn't even lift an arm to point him in the direction of the pillars we had to jump across. It was time for a break on my end, allowing Trico to do the work; he seemed to understand on instinct we had to leap from one to the next until we reached a wooden bridge ahead. Unfortunately, a glass eye rested near just the end of the bridge. Despite how far it seemed, Trico refused to move forward. Groaning and wallowing in my hunger and weakness, I gathered what remaining strength I had to climb down to Trico's chest so the drop wouldn't be as bad as it would on his head. He rattled, hackles raised as I moved almost mechanically towards the eye to push it over the bridge's edge. Despite my small win, I hardly felt pride as I watched the thing disappear into the unknown depths.
Trico must have sensed my distress, howling and whining for me to go back to him. But I could barely move, let alone run when he stepped automatically onto the bridge.
Snap. CRACK!
Eyes widening, I didn't even have time to turn around and start running back, finding that Trico was already right next to me! Regaining a bit of energy from the adrenaline itself, I connected my entire arm to a handful of feathers in order to keep myself from flying off when Trico had no choice but to leap off the bridge and to the next four pillars!
At last, Trico managed to keep himself balanced. With my heart hammering and head pounding from hunger and lack of sleep, I pushed myself harder to climb down my personal ladder—his tail.
xxxx
I don't know how I did it. Avoiding two guards by running up and down staircases, then an entire hoard of guards, pulling a lever or two to open gates to escape said guards. It was like I was living inside a dream, everything moving in slow motion. I couldn't think straight, yet I was able to make rational choices as to where I should go or how I should do things.
I was on autopilot—my half crazed mind taking over and my body handling what I wouldn't have been able to if I were fully conscious.
Like balancing on wooden beams, for example. In a way, I was grateful for the lack of control over my own body, yet I knew deep down I had to hurry and find food or else I would be in trouble.
I didn't even flinch when one of the beams to my left snapped and fell.
I didn't think twice when I jumped from the very tip of the wooden beam to an incomplete platform.
I didn't even hesitate when Trico leaped from his place on the pillar to the drawbridge on my side when the pole I'd grabbed onto snapped, leaving me dangling in midair.
I free-fell like I'd done it all my life down to the very tip of his tail—
Hardly caring when I missed my target and began to fall even further down below.
What finally snapped me out of my dreamlike reverie was the feeling of another hand catching mine before I could completely fall to my doom.