==Hi, everyone! I know I updated only two days ago, but I'm going away for a couple weeks soon and I just want to get a lot of content out before I leave the country. So, I decided to add in this new POV because times have changed for Lloyd and Hannah, and that means things have shifted inside the Serpentine tribes. Before, nobody really knew what was happening or where the Serpentine were. Now it won't be so secretive as perspectives collide, and you guys can get a better look at how the Serpentine actually live through the eyes of a hypnobrai trying to make things better for himself and his mate. I hope this new addition to the story is received well and that everybody enjoys reading it!==
Jack Ü - "To Ü" feat. AlunaGeorge
...leaving is the hardest thing to do, but being left is hard. Oh yes, it's true. But you're coming back. How do I get back to you, to you, to you? How can I get back to you?
Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity
Chapter 49:
Back To You
The outside world was never what I expected it to be. All my life, I wondered what it was like beyond the tomb. My generation only knew the touch of the frozen crevices and the coldness of the empty air that surrounded us every day. We grew up only hearing stories about the land of Ninjago from the previous generations and the elders. It seemed menacing, yet fascinating.
But as my physical body aged from a youngling to an adolescent, the thought of going outside the tomb became nothing more than a futile dream. Even with the beginning of decreases in prey, many of us thought that we would soon starve to death in years to come. But still, nobody dared to try and escape through the sealed entrance.
Slowly, we became weak. Some days, only the younglings and elders would eat. Females became too frail to have younglings, resulting in a decline in birth rates and an increase in death. My own family has been a victim to such misfortunes, but now my mate is carrying a youngling without complications. I cannot find a way to explain it, other than knowing I let her eat her portion of food every day and then half of my own. Compared to the other females, she seemed better off. I have hopes for the rest of the pregnancy, but the fear of losing the one thing we've both wanted for so long continues to haunt us day by day.
That's why the arrival of Lloyd and Hannah was somewhat a blessing and a curse at the same time. The tribe was finally able to see the land of Ninjago for the first time in decades. Prey was available to us once more, and health was being regained at a steady rate. My mate grew plump with our youngling constantly moving within her. The whole tribe was at peace…but not for long.
Our warriors began going on different kinds of missions for Lloyd and Hannah's pathetic evildoings. I had to leave my mate's side on more than one occasion during a crucial part of our lives. The thought of something bad happening to her and me not being there hurt me. We were scared for each other. What would we do if one of us died?
The entire tribe had similar problems, and every generation grew uneasy with how General Slithraa was allowing the behavior to continue and affect our way of life. The building of the treehouse in Wildwood Forest was the final stroke for us all. Then a snake named Skales stepped forward and battled for the tribe. His victory in the Slither Pit allowed him to inherit the position of General. Lloyd and Hannah's banishment from the tribe became the best gift out of all the hardships we've encountered thus far.
Many of us thought it was a new beginning for us; life would improve with better health and more births. My mate and I prepared for the arrival of our youngling by building a bigger nest in the safest place in the tomb. As she continued to grow, our excitement also grew.
After weeks of peace, the day came we discovered that the Fangpyre tribe was attacking with leadership by Lloyd and Hannah. General Skales ordered for a counterattack to meet them before they could reach our tomb. If our tomb was to be ambushed, the mothers, younglings, and elders would be killed. That reason alone was why I vowed to protect my mate while I was out in the battlefield.
Leaving her again was the hardest thing for me to bear. If I failed, I would lose her and our youngling. If I died, they would be left behind. I had no choice but to not fail. I had to fight for them.
I remember praying when the army of Fangpyre became visible down the mountainside. The warriors all clashed in a battle of Serpentine. My mate remained in my mind as I killed my enemies because I was determined to not die, but it was me against the world when the blizzard hit.
My comrades began passing the message about the Ninja being in the area to stop the battle, and when I went to pass the message to General Skales, I was surprised to find him making an accord with the Fangpyre General, Fangtom. They had Lloyd and Hannah bounded in rope because the Fangpyre wanted them banished like we did with them. It was clear that the little humans were unwanted among Serpentine.
The battle no longer was about killing each other, but about defeating the Ninja. Lloyd, Hannah, and a ninja were disposed of while the others were disarmed at the hands of both Hypnobrai and Fangpyre warriors. General Skales and General Fangtom agreed to begin a new plan in unison now that both the tribes were unleashed from their tombs. I was instructed to retrieve the mothers, younglings, and elders from our tomb and to travel down the mountain to regroup with the rest of the tribe. We were now on a mission to find a new home and come up with a way to overthrow the human race all together.
The trek back up the mountain was grueling, especially since I was now fighting nature along the way. The outside world was still unfamiliar to me, and I was unsure if I was going in the right direction, but I kept going. Not even the intensity of the winds could stop me.
I sunk into the deep snow with every step I took. Flurries bounced off my scales, not being able to stick because of the unique moisture on them. This was when I was thankful for being cold-blooded, because the temperature was one less thing I needed to worry about.
Gorgan, the sweet sound of my mate's voice said from my memories.
I'm coming, Cleo. I'm coming home, I promised her.
The gusts of wind swirled the flurries in all directions. I was thrown off balance on more than one occasion, sometimes falling over. It was tiring to get back up. My bones began communicating fatigue through aches.
"Gorgan," her voice repeated.
The surreal sound of her tripped me. I squinted to see a figure standing in front me. The patterned scales of my mate were glossy and her abdomen protruded immensely with our youngling. I looked into her dark, mesmerizing eyes with worry. "Cleo? Why are you out here?" I asked her, stepping closer. "You ssshould be–"
Her figure vaporized when I reached out to touch her. It startled me, but then I saw how there was a lever where she was standing. I pushed it forward and felt the ground shake from the entrance opening.
A fissure in the snow formed until it was large enough for me to slip inside. The darkness from inside the tomb became illuminated as soon as my sight adjusted. What was once an abyss transformed into an intricately designed cave made up of ice. It expanded to different areas used for different things, like places to sleep and places to train. Above me hung icicles long enough to kill anything with a single fall. Luckily they've been formed over centuries, and only the toughest of impacts could cause one to even vibrate.
Hypnobrai began emerging from crawlspaces, curious about who had arrived. Many of them were elders and females, but I couldn't see Cleo.
"It'sss me. Gorgan. I come with a messssage from General Ssskalesss," I hissed to my tribe members, who were approaching me to listen.
"Have we been defeated?" a male elder questioned me.
"No. The battle concluded with an accord between the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tribesss. Lloyd and Hannah have been banissshed onccce again."
The Serpentine happily hissed among themselves at the news. As I waited for their attention again, I found the beautiful face of Cleo in the middle of the mass. Her blue snout ran short with slim fangs as white as the purest snowflake appearing from under her lip. The crimson in her eyes told me she seemed pleased to know that I was well. I had the desire to touch her soft scales and witness movement from our youngling.
"Isss the tribe sssafe?" a female elder inquired.
"Yesss, but General Ssskalesss and General Fangtom assspire to finisssh what our ancccessstorsss ssstarted all thossse decadesss ago," I shared. "An objective to finally eliminate the human raccce hasss been essstablissshed, and the firssst ssstep to take isss to migrate to a new habitat."
Many gasps rang out in response to the news.
"Leave the tomb?" a male elder wondered.
"But none of usss have been anywhere other than thisss environment," another elder objected.
More complaints were thrown in my direction, somewhat overwhelming me.
"General Ssskalesss wissshesss for usss all to be at the bottom of the mountain asss sssoon asss possssible," I blurted out.
The tomb fell silent.
"The blizzard isss ssstrong but manageable asss long asss we ssstay together," I continued. "Gather your younglingsss and matesss. We ssshall proccceed asss a sssingle unit."
Questionable gazes came over me, but there were no more protests about the situation.
As mothers gathered their younglings and elders found their mates, I made my way to Cleo and greeted her with a gentle embrace. The palm of my hand pressed against the roundness of her abdomen. "Isss everything okay?" I asked her.
"We're okay," she assured me, cradling the moving youngling. "But we're really going?"
"We have to. Ssskalesss and Fangtom promisssed a new life within thisss accord for all Hypnobrai and Fangpyre. I have trussst in thisss plan. A better life for our youngling isss a better life for both of usss."
"But...thisss isss the only home we've know about our entire livesss."
"Change isss hard, yesss. But I'm going to protect you and not leave your ssside again. I want you and our youngling to be healthy and ssstrong in the daysss to come."
She dropped her gaze. "…What about all our preparationsss for our youngling? We'll be leaving it all behind."
"We can alwaysss ssstart again. Don't worry, Cleo. Everything isss going to turn out for the bessst."
I didn't get another response from her, so I stroked her snout with my own to show affection. "I love you," I lowly hissed, feeling our youngling shift underneath my hand.
A part of me felt guilty for putting Cleo through sudden stress from the plan. It was the last thing she needed for her pregnancy, which was already a tough situation in itself. I held her shoulders with my arm and guided her outside into the unwavering blizzard with the rest of the tribe. Not only did I have to temporarily lead the tribe to the correct destination, I also had to keep my mate safe during our first experience with a complete whiteout.
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