The Scratching
When Yennefer opens her eyes, it is still pitch dark in their little cavern. She listens into the silence. Something must have woken her but she cannot recall what. Some strange sound? But there is nothing to be heard besides the soft and regular breathing of the Nilfgaardian. Maybe she just imagined or dreamed it? The sorceress turns around in the sand and closes her eyes again. For a few minutes she lies tense listening for anything out of the ordinary, but as there is nothing, she slowly relaxes and begins to drift off again. Only to start up from her almost sleep with a jerk. There it is again. Faint and far away but there is definitely something moving outside on the beach. Lying stock still and hardly breathing, Yennefer concentrates on the sound. It seems to be coming closer, slowly but steadily. What the hell could it be? Not human footsteps, so probably not anybody looking for them specifically. Some animal? Or monster? In her mind Yennefer goes through a list of monsters Geralt told her about which might live in or by the sea. Selkies? A water-hound? Kelpie? Sea-serpent? A sea-dragon? Gods, there are so many and one more menacing than the other. And the sound is still coming closer, closer.
"Cahir?" she whispers very softly. Too softly as the Nilfgaardian does not react. Careful not to make any noise herself she moves nearer to her still sleeping companion.
"Cahir?" She touches him lightly on the shoulder. Startled, he flinches and reflexively gropes about for a weapon, but, of course, there is none.
"Shhh. Don't move or make a sound," Yennefer breathes urgently. "Can't you hear it? Can't you hear that scratching?"
They both listen intently. There it is again. A faint but distinct scratching on sand as if something large is hauled - or is hauling itself - up the beach toward their cave.
"You wait here. I'll have a look." Cahir makes a move to get up quietly.
"Wait!" Yennefer cautions. "We don't know what's out there!"
"Could be wolves. Dragging the carcass of a stranded dolphin or whale up the beach. Although," Cahir adds pensively, still speaking in a barely audible whisper, "a pack of wolves would certainly make more noise."
"Could be ghosts or monsters or a vampire!"
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." Determined, Cahir gets up and as noiselessly as possible fumbles through the darkness moving towards the cave's entrance, Yennefer following closely behind him.
"Damn, I don't see a thing. It's too dark."
Unfortunately and much to their dismay, it is, as the entire sky is shrouded in heavy clouds. No moon, no stars nor any other source of even the faintest of light. No matter how long they stare, they cannot make out any shape or movement in the blackness of the night. However, they can still hear the scratching on sand. It cannot be far from their cave now. What is even worse, there seem to be more of these mysterious beings or entities hauling out of the ocean and creeping up the beach. One more to the right and several, maybe three or four, to the left. Glorious. Now they are being surrounded by an invisible and potentially lethal ocean-dwelling creature and not able to do anything about it. Anything at all besides noiselessly moving back inside their cave, hide and hope that those beings won't find and eat them alive. Where is a fucking Witcher when you actually need one?
Giving up on their original intention to find out more about the source of the scratching Yennefer and Cahir retreat quietly, and, apprehensively listening for more sounds from outside, huddle against the far wall of the cave. The creature whose noise woke Yennefer up in the first place is crawling ever nearer toward their hideout. Now they cannot only hear the scratching, grating sound of flesh on sand but also heavy breathing. Were Yennefer still in possession of her chaos and not on the run from the Brotherhood, this situation would be so laughably easy. She would simply cast some illumination spell to find out what kind of creatures they are dealing with, and, in case they are truly dangerous, she could portal the both of them out in a jiffy. No need to be afraid, to break out in a cold sweat, not even for a single second. Without her magic though, it is a totally different story. Pearls of sweat accumulate on her forehead and, unwittingly, Yennefer digs her long, clammy fingers painfully into Cahir's thigh. For a time there is timelessness, endlessness, nothing but that scratching, the wet heavy breathing of the creature and the scared beating of their hearts.
Directly in front of the opening of the cave the creature freezes. Then there are sniffing sounds. Has it detected the terrified, defenceless humans inside the cavern? Will it come for them? Devour them?
The sniffing stops and the creature starts moving again. To their heartfelt relief not into but away from the cave. Yennefer takes a deep, slightly shaky breath, relaxing just a little as, slowly, the scratching recedes. Maybe the creatures are not hungry, or not at all dangerous to humans? Perhaps, not used to their smell, the animals or whatever they are, are even apprehensive of them?
"That was close." The Nilfgaardian next to Yennefer appears to be no less relieved by the lucky turn of events. As one should not count one's chickens before they are hatched and there is always the possibility that the thing might think twice, come back and eat them after all, he is speaking under his breath, his husky whisper giving Yennefer goosebumps. Only now she becomes acutely and embarrassingly aware of the fact that her hand is still lingering on her companion's thigh. Turning beet-red, she quickly withdraws it. Luckily it is still pitch-dark in the cave, so nobody can see her flush like a twelve-year-old virgin.
"Do you reckon we are safe?" she then whispers. Although Cahir would probably not be able to do much without a weapon of any sort to protect her if the beast indeed decided to come back, she is truly glad not to be in this alone.
"For now, I hope," he breathes. "Go back to sleep. I'll keep watch."
The effect of the excessive adrenaline waning, Yennefer does feel drained and tired all of a sudden. She closes her eyes. For a while she keeps listening to the faint and, once again, reassuringly faraway scratching sounds from the beach, still a little tense. However, since none of the creatures seem to be coming dangerously close to their hide-out, she relaxes more and more. As Yennefer is dozing off she vaguely notices that it is beginning to rain, the steady patter of raindrops blotting out the last remnants of the scary sounds and lulling her to sleep.
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It is still drizzling when Yennefer starts to stir, slowly becoming aware of her surroundings again. Greyish light is filtering through the entrance of the cave.
"Yennefer? You awake?"
With a start Yennefer realises that her head is resting on the Nilfgaardian's shoulder. She hasn't drooled all over him during the night, has she? She straightens up, quick like a scalded cat. And hears a very strange sound. Is that what has woken her up? Some sort of low creaky, grumbly growling. Then a honking bark but decidedly different than a dog's barking. And what is that? An insistent 'maaaa'-like cry reminding her a little of the sound a newborn calf makes when calling for its mother. It is kind of eerie but not half as scary now that it is not pitch dark anymore.
"The creatures from tonight?" Yennefer whispers.
"Must be." As prudence is the better part of valour, Cahir is still speaking under his breath, too. "Any idea what they are? You've lived on this island for years, haven't you?"
"We hardly got out of Aretuza. Ever. Not until we ascended and left for the court assigned to us by the Brotherhood. You might not believe it, but it felt like a gilded cage more often than not." Yennefer pauses, lost in memories for a moment, then continues in a low whisper. "From the windows we often looked out over the ocean envying the seagulls for their freedom. But even if we had been allowed to leave the building or managed to sneak out unseen, I don't think we'd have ventured into the wilderness to watch the local wildlife."
"Ready for some wildlife watching now?"
"Right. Let's end this, too." Resolutely and without making any noise, Yennefer gets up and, not a little curious, leads the way to the cave's entrance. Cautiously peeking out she suddenly begins to giggle, then bubbles up with laughter.
"What is this?" Cahir asks in amazement never before having seen creatures like the ones that now are peacefully populating their little beach. They are big, blubbery and barrel-shaped, clearly adapted to the cold climate of the north, have smooth spotted greyish skin - or fur? - a somewhat dog-like, rotund, smiling face with no ear flaps whatsoever and large dark watery eyes. Head to toe - or rather flipper - the biggest ones must be about two metres long and are pretty impressive although not quite as massive as they imagined during the night and definitely not even half as dangerous. Actually they do not look dangerous at all as they are lying on the black sand, most of them having a snooze or nursing their newborn babies, the slightly darker pups looking so acutely cute that Cahir cannot but grin broadly in spite of himself. All in all he counts eight adults and five pups, but more are arriving, hauling out of the ocean and making the all too familiar scratching sound as they flop along on their bellies dragging themselves up the beach.
"A seal rookery," Yennefer finally manages to enlighten her companion in between fits of laughter. "It's a bloody seal rookery. And I was so sure we were finally doomed."
"Certainly fucking felt like it," Cahir agrees, still grinning. "We have a problem though," he adds more seriously. "Looks like our beach will soon be crowded with these creatures. What did you call them - seals?" Yennefer nods. "They might not look dangerous now, but they will probably not like it if we get too close." One of the seals without a pup, presumably a male specimen as it is bigger than the mother seals, opens its mouth and yawns extensively showing a set of pointed predator teeth that could easily rival any large dog's or wolf's. "See what I mean?"
"Point taken. What then does the commander general suggest?"
"We have to leave sooner than planned. Tonight. The only question is, do we climb up the cliff or do we try to find a way along the seashore? The cliff will be treacherous and slippery from the rain but the way along the shore won't be easy either. Moreover, there is no guarantee that we won't get stuck and have to turn back."
Surprised at being asked her opinion, Yennefer looks around. The rugged steep black cliff indeed looks formidably forbidding. But the equally black and rugged rocks that separate their beach from the next look daunting, too. They are not steep but surely even more slippery than the cliff as they are openly exposed to the spray of the surf and overgrown with algae in many places. The route along the seashore might be longer, too. A difficult decision. There is one crucial advantage to the second option, though. It won't require as much physical strength as the cliff climb, a strength that she, after days of forced fasting, fears not to posses.
"The seashore," Yennefer finally concludes.
Cahir nods in agreement. "The seashore it is. At dusk. Get some more rest before we leave. It's going to be a long and strenuous hike."
Having slept even less than she has, Cahir yawns heartily. Then he follows his own piece of advice and stretches out on the sandy cave floor. Soon Yennefer can hear his soft snoring from the back of the cavern. For a short while longer she observes the rare beauty of the wildlife before she, too, lies down to brace herself for the next leg of their escape. However, not without emptying Cahir's boot-turned-drinking-vessel first so it would not be totally wet inside when they leave.
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By the time dusk is falling so many seals are lazing about on the beach that it is not easy to keep a safe distance and find a way around them. They have to move very slowly and cautiously as not to disturb or frighten the huge animals and accidentally provoke them into attacking the two human trespassers. When Yennefer and Cahir finally reach the rocks it is already dark. But in contrast to the previous evening, they are lucky. No clouds are obscuring the nightly sky and the silver light of the full moon and the thousands of stars dotting the velvety black firmament help considerably to keep the fugitives from breaking a leg or even their neck on the slippery stones. Without any mishap they manage to reach the adjoining beach which looks very similar to the one the pair has just left behind, only a lot longer. It is also cluttered with sleeping seals. They sneak past them pressed to the rock wall of the cliff and only once or twice a seal wakes up and barks at them warningly. The sandy, equally black beach peters out into similarly black rocks which, however, are not as rugged but smoother, more plateau-like than the ones before. They would be a lot easier to cross, too, if they were not riddled with hundreds of tide pools of all sizes. All kinds of creatures seem to live in these pools as they can vaguely perceive tiny fish and shrimp flitting through the water, sea anemones moving their petal-like tentacles and small, sidewise moving crabs quickly vanishing in gaps and cracks in the rock. By day this would probably make for quite a colourful spectacle. Now, however, it is hardly more than the movement of dark, sinister shadows in equally dark and ominous water.
"Fuck!" Yennefer curses under her breath as she slips on a thick patch of algae, her foot connecting with the black surface of one of the smaller pools with a splash which, to the sorceress's utter amazement, makes the water erupt in a firework of tiny golden sparks that vanish as quickly as they appeared. She pulls her foot out of the pool, the movement creating another shower of golden sparks.
"Cahir, did you see that? What the hell is it?"
"No idea. Try again."
"You do it."
"Are you afraid of simple water now?"
"Totally your fault after all those fairy tales you told me. What if those pools are bewitched, or cursed?" It is a possibility that cannot be easily dismissed. After all, they are on an island that has for centuries been inhabited by some of the most powerful mages in the northern kingdoms.
"Right. Then better make sure you don't fall in again. You might be turned into an eel."
"Watch your step yourself. If you are turned into a toad, don't expect me to kiss you to transform you back."
"Toads don't live in tide pools."
"Of course, suddenly you are so knowledgable about sea-life. Just a few hours ago you didn't even know what a seal is!"
"And you, who did know, still almost pissed your pants thinking there was a - Shit!" Now Cahir's foot has landed in one of the rock pools causing another burst of golden sparks. Quickly he withdraws it heaving a sigh of relief when nothing untoward has happened to neither his foot nor to him.
"Looks like it's not harmful." Intrigued, he kneels down, slowly stretching out his hand toward the last golden sparkles in the inky darkness of the pool.
"Don't touch it!" Yennefer warns. "Some curses need time to effectively take root in their victims. What about your 'better safe than sorry' policy?"
"So you are concerned about me."
"Don't flatter yourself. I just don't fancy carrying an ugly, slimy toad around with me since they cannot survive in tide pools, according to you."
As Yennefer is the expert on magic and her reasoning seems sound, Cahir abstains from further investigating the strange phenomenon for now. Getting back to Cintra as quickly as possible to fulfil his mission is of prime importance, not any mysterious and potentially dangerous lights in some faraway and totally pointless tide pools. He gets up again and they continue on their journey in concentrated silence, first to evade more accidental contact with the possibly magical water of the pools, then to stay clear of attacks by hundreds of birthing, nursing or breeding seals, and later to avoid falling into crevices filled with roiling ocean water while climbing across more rugged rocks in the dark.
After hours and hours of climbing, scrambling, creeping and tiptoeing the two fugitives can finally see the distant lights of a city across the black water of the bay. Gors Velen. And, connecting the city with the Isle of Thanedd, the dark shadow of the bridge, their interim destination. However, with the stars and moon slowly fading as the pink of dawn is approaching quickly, it is all too clear that they will not make it to and across the bridge that night. They need to find a safe hiding place, and fast. Before they can be spotted by fishermen in the early morning light, or even by guards patrolling the vicinity of Loxia, the reception complex adjacent to the bridge.
The only tolerably acceptable hideout that they can finally find in the twilight is more a narrow, dank crevice in the rock than a cavern and a far cry from their relatively comfortable and cosy little cave, but it does provide some shelter from inquisitive eyes and potential pursuers. Yennefer and Cahir huddle down close to each other both to keep warm and because they have no choice as there is no space to not sit next to each other, not to mention room to lie down or stretch out their legs. Anyhow, they are both far too tired from the long and strenuous hike to be bothered or embarrassed by the proximity.
Leaning heavily against each other they fall asleep before the first bright rays of pinkish sunlight radiate across the horizon.