The outer edge of a tranquil forest. A robin twitters from its perch atop a young oak. A large lake is there, with small, quiet waves and an occasional splash from a bullfrog the only signs of movement. Sevarint staggers out of the forest, exhausted and wincing from his wounds.
"Whew... Think I lost him..." Sevarint panted for breath, collapsing on the shores of the lake. "I'm...safe now..." He mumbled, then passed out.
Sevarint awoke to soft voices whispering to each other.
"Is he alive?"
"Of course he is, ya nitwit!"
"You'll wake 'im up! Be quiet."
"Make me, why don'tcha?"
"Bring it on!"
"Hush up, both of you! I think the Kougra's waking up!"
Sevarint looked around. He was lying on a bed of soft moss, apparently in a cave of some form. A Kiko, a Koi and an aging Tuskaninny were gathered around him. "Whoa... what'd I miss?" He blinked a few times.
"Welcome to the Caves, young friend. I am Juskoran, the elder. This argumentive pair is Erdian, the Kiko, and Tynah, the Koi." The Tuskaninny smiled kindly.
"Hi!" Erdian and Tynah chorused.
Sevarint noted they were both about his age. "Hi...I'm Sevarint. Um, can you guys tell me why I'm here, exactly?"
"That's easy! We found you by the lake..." Started Tynah.
"...All beat up and stuff. So we took you..." Continued Erdian.
"To Juskoran. He got you patched up and stuff..." Piped up Tynah.
"...So now here you are, in our home..." Chimed Erdian.
"...The Caves!" Both finished.
"...How do you guys do that?" Sevarint raised an eyebrow at the pair's odd way of speaking.
"Do..." Erdian blinked.
"What?" Tynah did likewise.
"Forget I asked, OK?" Sevarint shook his head, sitting up.
"Right!" Both giggled.
"So what are the Caves, anyway?" Sevarint changed the subject causually, wondering if the Koi and Kiko were telepathic. Both were about to say something, when Juskoran put a fin on each of their mouths.
"The Caves are a series of underwater tunnels and such. After the destruction of Maraqua, most of us fled though a small tunnel, which eventually brought us here. We've all lived in the Caves ever since." The Tuskaninny removed his fins from the duo's mouths.
"We've got a little village..." Erdian explained.
"Just over there." Tynah pointed over a pile of smooth, flat rocks.
Sevarint was delighted. Here was his chance to be great! He had just found a secret world of underwater tunnels where the survivors of Maraqua thrived! "Show me!" He leapt to his feet eagerly. Erdian and Tyrah both nodded vigorously and scampered over the rocks. Sevarint followed, scrabbling awkwardly on the loose pebbles. As soon as he reached the top he gasped.
"Welcome to our village, Sevarint." Tynah giggled, gesturing a flipper in front of her. There was a small village of aquatic pets, and a couple of campfires scattered about. That wasn't what made Sevarint gasp, however. It was the huts. They were made completely from crystal! He watched the firelight dance off the multicoloured houses, creating rainbow patterns on rock walls of the cave. The glow from a small pond nearby, obviously a tunnel entrance, only added to the stunning beauty of the place.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Erdian asked, not without a hint of pride.
"Pretty...? It's beyond pretty! It's...it's... breathtaking... It's beautiful..." Sevarint stammered, half-whispering.
"Well, how would you like a..." Erdian grinned knowingly.
"...Tour of our village?" Tynah waved her tail in excitement. "We can show you..."
"Everything! C'mon, it'll be..." Erdian motioned to Sevarint, then started sliding down the rock pile.
"A blast!" Laughing, Tynah grabbed Sevarint's paw in hers. They both slid down, laughing and shouting. When they got to the bottom, Erdian brushed the dust off of them. "Shall we be off, then?"
"Yeah! We ain't getting any younger, you know!" Sevarint nodded, following his two friends into the village.
"Whew... Think I lost him..." Sevarint panted for breath, collapsing on the shores of the lake. "I'm...safe now..." He mumbled, then passed out.
Sevarint awoke to soft voices whispering to each other.
"Is he alive?"
"Of course he is, ya nitwit!"
"You'll wake 'im up! Be quiet."
"Make me, why don'tcha?"
"Bring it on!"
"Hush up, both of you! I think the Kougra's waking up!"
Sevarint looked around. He was lying on a bed of soft moss, apparently in a cave of some form. A Kiko, a Koi and an aging Tuskaninny were gathered around him. "Whoa... what'd I miss?" He blinked a few times.
"Welcome to the Caves, young friend. I am Juskoran, the elder. This argumentive pair is Erdian, the Kiko, and Tynah, the Koi." The Tuskaninny smiled kindly.
"Hi!" Erdian and Tynah chorused.
Sevarint noted they were both about his age. "Hi...I'm Sevarint. Um, can you guys tell me why I'm here, exactly?"
"That's easy! We found you by the lake..." Started Tynah.
"...All beat up and stuff. So we took you..." Continued Erdian.
"To Juskoran. He got you patched up and stuff..." Piped up Tynah.
"...So now here you are, in our home..." Chimed Erdian.
"...The Caves!" Both finished.
"...How do you guys do that?" Sevarint raised an eyebrow at the pair's odd way of speaking.
"Do..." Erdian blinked.
"What?" Tynah did likewise.
"Forget I asked, OK?" Sevarint shook his head, sitting up.
"Right!" Both giggled.
"So what are the Caves, anyway?" Sevarint changed the subject causually, wondering if the Koi and Kiko were telepathic. Both were about to say something, when Juskoran put a fin on each of their mouths.
"The Caves are a series of underwater tunnels and such. After the destruction of Maraqua, most of us fled though a small tunnel, which eventually brought us here. We've all lived in the Caves ever since." The Tuskaninny removed his fins from the duo's mouths.
"We've got a little village..." Erdian explained.
"Just over there." Tynah pointed over a pile of smooth, flat rocks.
Sevarint was delighted. Here was his chance to be great! He had just found a secret world of underwater tunnels where the survivors of Maraqua thrived! "Show me!" He leapt to his feet eagerly. Erdian and Tyrah both nodded vigorously and scampered over the rocks. Sevarint followed, scrabbling awkwardly on the loose pebbles. As soon as he reached the top he gasped.
"Welcome to our village, Sevarint." Tynah giggled, gesturing a flipper in front of her. There was a small village of aquatic pets, and a couple of campfires scattered about. That wasn't what made Sevarint gasp, however. It was the huts. They were made completely from crystal! He watched the firelight dance off the multicoloured houses, creating rainbow patterns on rock walls of the cave. The glow from a small pond nearby, obviously a tunnel entrance, only added to the stunning beauty of the place.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Erdian asked, not without a hint of pride.
"Pretty...? It's beyond pretty! It's...it's... breathtaking... It's beautiful..." Sevarint stammered, half-whispering.
"Well, how would you like a..." Erdian grinned knowingly.
"...Tour of our village?" Tynah waved her tail in excitement. "We can show you..."
"Everything! C'mon, it'll be..." Erdian motioned to Sevarint, then started sliding down the rock pile.
"A blast!" Laughing, Tynah grabbed Sevarint's paw in hers. They both slid down, laughing and shouting. When they got to the bottom, Erdian brushed the dust off of them. "Shall we be off, then?"
"Yeah! We ain't getting any younger, you know!" Sevarint nodded, following his two friends into the village.