==Hi, everyone! I hope all of you have been doing okay. I just wanted to give a small update on things and give out a new chapter to read. The most important thing is that I graduate in May, so from now until then, I doubt I'll be posting anything. I have AP testing that I'm already studying for and I intend on finishing my high school career strong with decent grades. Then I'll have a long summer to spend writing so much more, and I can't wait! But until that day comes, I have to focus on my future, which unfortunately is super vital XD I hope you all understand and can wait on me more. I promised I would write a whole lot this year, and I definitely want to accomplish that. I really hope I can wrap up this story in the next couple of years. We're near the climax already, and it's just downhill from there. I'm pouring my heart into every chapter I post because I want this story to be successful :) ==

Skrillex - "Fire Away" with Kid Harpoon

Take me with you when you go. Don't me out here on my own...

Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity

Chapter 69:

Trail Of Destruction

"We must continue!" General Skales commanded us. All of the Serpentine around us immediately gathered their small pods of families and began to follow the two Generals. Quickly finishing off the mice I hunted, I gazed at my silent mate. She sat in a motionless state with her swollen abdomen in her lap. For once in my life, I couldn't read her expression, but the absence of movement from her womb made it clear that she didn't have a healthy mindset for the time being.

"What do you need me to do?" I comforted, touching her arm.

She ignored me, not even moving her eyes in my direction.

A pang of sadness hit me. I felt unwanted, but knowing what lied ahead of us, I wrapped her in my arms and lifted her from the ground. If I could just get her to the Fangpyre Tomb with our tribe, I would be relieved. There was a possibility of remaining there for a few days, and that would be the perfect place for the birth of our youngling. We didn't have to worry about being left behind because of unexpected labor.

"No," Cleo suddenly spat, forcing herself out of my gentle hold. My surprise caused me to not fight against her wishes. I watched her stalk away from me, her scaly hands resting on her abdomen. She showed no sign of waiting for me.

I sighed and unhurriedly followed her. Whatever was bothering her, it was putting a wedge between us.

The two Serpentine tribes continued to walk for many hours. Cleo never asked to be carried to take the weight off her tired feet, but I knew she was physically pushing herself. The small amount of muscle mass she possessed gave her a disadvantage compared to all the other Serpentine. Her pace slowly dwindled as I continually followed close behind. I didn't hear her complain of any pain from her womb, so I knew her pregnancy wasn't being affected...yet.

When she became reachable for me, I went ahead and tried to be a good mate again. "I'm here if you need me, Cleo," I informed her.

Without warning, she stopped in her tracks and took the time to angrily hiss at me.

Other Hypnobrai dodged us as soon as the sound occurred. I completely froze in place. Cleo then turned back around and continued to walk as if nothing happened. But all in all, I got her message. She wanted me to leave her alone, even if that meant our relationship reached a gray area.

I couldn't move for a moment. What was happening to us? We were supposed to be happy with the impending birth at hand, but instead, it felt like we were fibers being stretched apart to their limit. I'd never heard of mates going their separate ways. Surely Cleo and I wouldn't be the first case.

"Isss everything okay?" a scrawny fangpyre with stubby fangs asked, stopping beside me.

I dropped my gaze. "I don't know," I simply answered, stepping away from him.

As night fell, many of us were limping. The muscles under our scales ached from more than a day of travel. Fatigue was so apparent that not even the younglings spoke a word to their parents. A part of was worried that Skales wouldn't allow us to rest for the night. If that happened, the elders would start dying. Velsuki already had to administer herbal aid to a large number of them just to give them enough strength to last them a few hours. Her supply would run out sooner or later. There was only enough to last us the trip to the Tomb.

In the darkness, I trailed behind Cleo's illuminated body due to her heat signature. Her gait was also limping. She was carrying her own weight and that of our youngling. The body had to adjust physical capabilities in order to cope with the demanding journey. I knew she had to rest at some point, but I couldn't make her. Right now, she could make the decisions. If it meant we would stay together as mates, I was willing to take a step back for once. I would just stay in the background in worry about how it all could end.

Velsuki caught up to me for the first time since the brief break we had a few hours ago. "How long hasss ssshe been on her feet?" she rasped.

"The whole time," I replied.

"What?! Gorgan, you know how dangerousss that could be!"

"I can't help sssomeone who doesssn't want to be helped!" I retorted, getting frustrated. "Cleo wantsss nothing to do with me right now. I don't want to disssturb her any more than I already have."

She glared at me, but unsure how to respond, so she left me behind to speak with her daughter. I witnessed the two females converse without turning around to look at me. I hoped she was reasoning with her and not antagonizing me any further. Why was it so bad for me trying to be a responsible member of my family?

When I expected the elderly snake to return to me, she did the exact opposite; I watched her step away into the thickening mist of dusk. Cleo showed no sign of stopping in her stride. It was almost as if the casual encounter with Velsuki never occurred, to begin with.

What I didn't know was that Velsuki had gone to confide with Skales once more about the expectant mothers. The moment his voice rang out for us to stop moving, we all obeyed and gazed around curiously. "We will ssstop for the night!" he announced. "But we will finisssh our journey tomorrow!"

With that in mind, Serpentine began finding places to sleep. Younglings pleaded their parents to hold them because of their tiredness, and like good parents would, they took care of them. Cleo stood stagnant in front of me, so I took the opportunity to try again with her. "If I catch prey, will you eat?" I calmly asked her.

She glanced at me with unexplainable annoyance but silently nodded.

I was genuinely surprised by the response I got that I didn't move for a second. But before she changed her mind, I went along with a number of other Serpentine to fetch food for their families.

The Fangpyre seemed to know the terrain inside and out. They could locate the smallest of burrows in the midst of bothersome grass. Mice, moles, shrews, groundhogs, and even weasels were excavated from their habitats and quickly killed to be gathered in heaps. Some families were feasting tonight.

With my fist twisting in a mouse burrow, I noticed a pair of scaly feet stopped in front of me. I slowed the movements of my hand to gaze up at the same female fangpyre who helped me earlier today. "You're getting better," she complimented.

The sudden nip of a mouse's teeth into my finger jolted me back to my task. "Ouch!" I exclaimed, pulling my hand out to find a spot of blood welling on the tip of my finger. "I sssuppossse," I replied, trying the other hand instead. "I never got your name."

"Timber. And you are?"

I successfully pulled out a fidgeting mouse and swiftly nipped its neck. "Gorgan."

"Well, Gorgan, I noticcced you and your mate aren't on the bessst of termsss," she described as I got to my feet.

I sighed. "Who hasssn't noticcced?"

"Don't take it too hard. It'sss only becaussse ssshe'sss having a youngling. My sssissster wasss the sssame way with all three of hersss."

"I take it you don't have any younglingsss of your own?"

"I refussse to have younglingsss. Being tied down as a mother doesss not interessst me. I prefer to fight on the battlefield alongssside my mate."

"Timber?" a male fangpyre said as he approached us. He took his mate's hand as he towered over both of us with his bulky muscles screaming dominance over me.

"Kiel, thisss isss the hypnobrai with the unhappy pregnant mate," she informed him.

"Ah, yesss. Poor fellow got hisss handsss full," he mocked with humor.

I took offense from the massive snake. "Don't ssspeak of my mate in that manner," I warned, despite my apprehension of him. "I love Cleo."

Kiel's piercing white eyes didn't take him seriously. "If you love her, then why are you going to bring her back mere ssscrapsss for prey?"

I held up my handful of dangling mice, but Timber pinched him and made him squawk in pain. "Gorgan isss doing hisss bessst to provide for hisss family in a new environment. Do not belittle him."

"You 'belittle' me every day," he claimed, pulling his hand from her.

She chuckled. "I do not. I sssimply put you in your place when necccessssary. Now let'sss leave Gorgan alone. He hasss more miccce to catch."

They both parted ways from me, heading for a place to eat and sleep in peace.

I took Kiel's insult into stride by hunting more. When I couldn't hold any more mice by the tails, I decided to head back to Cleo.

Avoiding patches of sleeping Serpentine, I found Cleo curled up against a long tectonic plate that was protruding from the grass. Segments of the plant clung to the gray rock for dear life, trying to pull it back down towards the earth to cover it again. My mate was sleeping with her arms protecting her womb. It remained still from the inside. Our youngling still wasn't moving like Cleo would've wanted.

Very cautiously and gently, I nudged her shoulder. "I have prey, Love," I whispered, seeing her eyelids slide open. I laid out all the small carcasses in front of her. "You can have all of it if you'd like."

She examined the dead prey's fading heat signatures before lifting her head and consuming every piece eagerly. My forked tongue happily flapped against my lips and then disappeared. This was a step forward. I felt relieved.

When she swallowed the last lifeless creature, she rolled over to not face me as she slept. Usually, her head rested against my chest at night, and I would feel the youngling kick me, but she still wanted to be left alone. It was disappointing for me because I loved her and wanted to be with her, but if she wasn't ready to open up to me yet, then there was nothing I could do.

Settling down next to her, I gazed up at the unfamiliar speckled sky. I'd never seen such a mesmerizing picture before. Tonight would be the first time I slept underneath a masterpiece.

"Ssserpentine!" General Fangtom bellowed. "Let usss arrive at the Fangpyre Tomb today!"

On command, Hypnobrai and Fangpyre gathered each other and set out for the remainder of the journey we had left. I opened my groggy eyes to a sky that wasn't awake itself. The orange sun was just peeking above the ground. Trying to get up was hard. My muscles were sore from a hard day of incessant walking. Now we were about to have a whole nother day of hiking.

"Cleo," I rasped, resting my hand on the side of her swollen abdomen, "it'sss time to move again. How are you feeling?"

Without verbally responding, she got to her feet and began moving with the other Serpentine. Her ankles were stiff, but she didn't ask for my help again. Deep down, I knew she was at least sore. I couldn't imagine how her back was holding up. The weight of her womb was uncomfortable in itself, but having to walk with it? The thought made me uneasy. If we could trade places, I would be more than willing to carry our youngling, but it was her responsibility until after the birth.

I knew she was probably going to hiss at me again, but I caught up with her. "I know you're in pain," I said. "Pleassse let me take the weight off your feet."

"I'm fine," she insisted, not meeting my eye.

"You are worrying your mother, Cleo. We jussst want what'sss bessst for you. If you keep weakening yourssself, there'sss a chanccce you'll be too weak to give birth, and I can't bear that thought."

She still wouldn't look at me.

"If I lossse you and our youngling, I'll have nothing."

"We have already lossst our youngling!" she suddenly shouted, causing others to stare.

Speechless, I didn't try to stop her as she created distance between us.

Poor Gorgan. What's going on with Cleo? Let me know in your reviews! There's a chance you could inspire me ;) Thank you, Crystal Cea, RandomDragon2.0, and PixelatedNinjas for reviewing the last chapter!

Crystal Cea - Haha thanks. Knew I could count on you ;)

RandomDragon2.0 - I can cope XD