"Last night one and all! We have gathered arm in arm. Side by side. Busom to busom. To celebrate the births of the long sun," Morgan spoke loudly within the cavern gathering everyone's attention, "We welcome the days to come, the life's to lead, the family to embrace. For in health..."
"For in health," the older children repeated quietly, the words echoing off the stone walls.
"For in illness," Morgan spoke again, and again the children repeated.
"For joy, for anger. For each other, eternal. Let us all enjoy this sleep tonight, together. As brothers and sisters..."
Carlos and Mal gave each other shooting glances and a quick squeeze in their held hands. The Tremaines held each other close, all nodding except for the sleeping youngest.
"...as cousins. As friends, as a family..."
Morgan continued his speech, unaware of the quiet footfalls at the entrance of their cavern, and the slow climbing down their tunnel.
"We have been blessed. To have a home. To have each other. To have our freedom... We may not have a lot... But we fear, no pain. We fear no storm. As the seasons change, unlike this speech I give every celebration," he paused as kids chuckled. A small splash in the water casting a few drops on his tattered coat. He laughed as well.
"Aren't we all thankful to be here?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Language you little heathen!" He laughed. There were hoots and hollers all around.
"Now. We have quite the next few days ahead of us. Time to play catch up and prepare for the upcoming months. Fall means rain, and rain means flooding. Not that any of us can't handle a little water though right? Still, it means trading for clothes. It means deeper waters. And that means the little lobster issue we get every year."
Some kids chuckled, some groaned, others cheered. Lobsters were a mixed blessing as not everyone liked them. But hey, food was food. It was hard to complain when food appeared to be bountiful. They were never starving so they were satisfied to say they were bountiful. After all, what else was bountiful?
"Now everyone, it's time for bed."
There was light talking as children began to scatter to their sleeping areas that were no more than cracks in the wall varying from room for one to room for four tightly cuddling together.
No one got far as light cornered the group on all sides but the water front. The children stumbled backward. Each older child pushed the younger ones behind them, blinded by a foreign and unknown source. Morgan jumped down from his rocky stoop. He stood tall before the group as Iden and Ursa appeared from the water and flanked the back and wet rocks, waiting for anyone to come close.
"Hold on."
"Holy crap he was right."
"I didn't think-"
"I didn't-"
"Eh hem," a male coughed. Everyone went silent. The children huddled closely. Jerrard, Samuel, Jay, Mal and even David stepped out of the crowd, becoming a line to defend the others. Jerrard had a hard look on his face, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set. Samuel looked annoyed and slightly worried, occasionally glancing at Morgan who stood tall in front of everyone. David stood before his sister and cousins with his back straight and his eyes trying to look above the lights.
All that could be heard was the shallow breathing, and then, footfalls. It was one person who walked between the lights and stand in front of Morgan. His body silhouetted and casting a long shadow falling just onto Morgan's pants. The natural light of the dark cave seemed to be far bleaker.
"Calm down," the silhouette requested.
"Who are you? Who have you brought? All surface villains are to stay above. We have an agreement," Morgan growled in a foreign sounding tone.
"Who says we're villains?" The voice, was surprisingly charming, "We're liberators."
"Liberators? What are you-? Stop making up words."
"Really? You don't know what a liberator is do you?"
Morgan crossed his arms. Slight fatigue and irritation bleeding through his otherwise perky personality.
"If I knew what your waste of breath meant, I wouldn't question it so much."
The silhouette took a few steps forward. The group took a collective step back. A few splashes could be heard as a few stepped into the water and the group somehow grew tighter on itself.
"We're here to free you."
"Free us? Free us from what?"
The silhouette stopped. He seemed to stare into the crowd. Thin bodies and fearful eyes stared him down. Some angry. Some in tears. He could explain... But it would take time. And the nights were far too short. Villains would wake with the light and the removal of the children if they didn't act fast.
"We'll explain later. But it isn't safe here. By decree of King Adam, you are all to come with us."
There were whispers among the children, the most common one was 'Who's King Adam?'
Morgan took a step forward, silencing the children behind him. The children out the outer ring stepped with him in a show of unity.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you aren't going to take us from our home."
The silhouette man sighed.
"Hard way it is then."
Morgan tensed and took a half step back. He spread his arms to somewhat shield those behind him.
"Knock them out."
It all seemed to happen very quickly. Shields were put up between the children and the intruders. Cans were thrown at them and gas began to billow out. The children began coughing as the foreign gas entered their lungs. One by one, the younger children fell over, completely oblivious of the world around them soon followed by the older ones. Morgan reacted quickly and charged forward ready to hit the man responsible for whatever madness was occurring.
But the gas had seeped into his lungs as well as he four to remain aware. He stumbled and his ears seemed to fall deaf as he grabbed the silhouette's shirt only to need to to remain standing. He took in shaky breaths and stared at the face of the man responsible for this. All he could think was how it didn't appear to be human, with large black glass like eyes and the absense of a mouth and nose, just two odd protrusions and small holes at the end of those.
He couldn't focus any more though as he slipped into oblivion with the other children.
His grip grew slack but the silhouette held him upright, and gently laid him on the ground as four men pulled what appeared to be a set of twins from the water. His face remained unseen as he witnessed their lower halves were not human or even had a traditional set of legs, rather, eight of without bone.
There was a sigh from the head silhouette.
"Bring them. We'll call King Trident to see what should be done with them."
"Yeach, this is gross," one man said trying to maneuver the tentacles to be carried.
"Just keep moving. Let's get these kids out of here."
Small children were being carried carefully by twos in the arms of the men sent. Larger ones were thrown over shoulders in attempted fireman carries.
"Be quick everyone. We don't know when the villains will be waking. We want to be gone before they appear."
"Yes sir," the collective group said, even the four carrying the odd sea twins. One by one, soldiers climbed out of the caver carrying children as a few of the free bodied men grabbed surprisingly heavy trunks. The commander of the men carried the unconscious Morgan to the surface only to come face to face with a glaring young man.
"You knocked them out?" He stated with a glare.
"Calvin, while we appreciate you finding them, retrieving takes tact and control, as well as years of experience."
"Yeah, it takes years of experience to knock a bunch of kids out," Calvin grumbled staring directly into the man's mask.
"Calvin. Now is not the time. We need to leave Calvin. Lest these children be subjected to the horrors here any longer. Given the were underground..."
"Yes sir," Calvin coldly replied standing to protect the soldiers and the children as they made their way to the escape boat. It was a military boat that had quietly made its way into the harbor at the first falling of night. Each soldier walked in by twos with children or chests in tow.
It was near dawn when they left the harbor with the unconscious children as the sun began to taint the sky with light.
Well... This is something.
If you wish, please leave a review.