Xhe surged out of the little crack and began to swim to shore. Xhe saw that the girl-child was bobbing through the water and sent a hoot through the water to get her attention. She looked up at xhir and began to follow xhir once she saw that xhe'd recovered her spheres.
Xhe began to accelerate towards the shore and blasted out of the water, shifting into xhir ursine form as he did so. Xhe shook the water off xhir body, set the spheres down and waded out a little ways into the river to pluck out the girl-child, who was struggling back onto the shore.
She began to gasp once xhe lifted her from the water as xhe hadn't taken her gills back yet, but a bit of focus on xhir part reversed that and within moments she looked just as she had before. Xhe plopped her down onto the shore and handed her the spheres.
"Keep hold," xhe said, dropping to all fours and slinking back to a dry spot on the ground. Xhe would never had admitted that xhe was tired by any means but that much shifting in such a short amount of time took its toll on a body and so it was nice to relax.
The girl-child crept up to the shore. At first she only took a few hesitant sips of water, but once she was certain that nothing would leap out of the river to drag her in, she knelt down and took much bigger drinks, sometimes dipping her head into the water like Suel had done, but more often cupping the water into her hands and drinking from that.
Suel, meanwhile, reclined further up on the shore. Xhe positioned xhir body so that xhe could leap to action if need be, but this time xhe was sure that it wouldn't be an issue. Just to be sure xhe closed xhir eyes and expanded xhir sense, looking for the familiar pull of another shifter.
The three small Ghouls in the little underwater hole had since collapsed into one much larger Ghoul, but as it was still sorting out its power and memories xhe knew it wouldn't be worth worrying about for some time. Even if it had been able to gather itself up enough to face off against xhir now xhe would still be able to destroy it. It would be a bit more difficult than it had been when it was three separate minds, but it could be done.
Drawing on the strength xhe'd gained in feeding, xhe decided to expand xhir senses even more. Xhe didn't want a repeat of the river, feeling foolish for allowing it to happen in the first place. As xhe cast out xhir mind, xhe was surprised to find a number of other shifters in the cave. Their strength was so similar that xhe'd assumed that it the power was innate to the cave, but there they were.
Most of them were Ghouls such as the trio xhe'd encountered, and those that xhe sensed moved away from xhir once xhe passed over them. There were a few other Rakshasha and they each greeted xhir in turn, moving towards xhir instead. Deep within the cave there was a pair of Asura, who ignored xhir.
Suel pulled xhir senses back and thought over what xhe'd learned. The cave's ecosystem was a simple one. The Ghouls ate what little creatures fell into the cave or lived here. The Rakshasha ate the Ghouls and each other if they were strong enough. The Asura ate everything else. It was a sad, incestuous little thing.
Ghouls were scavengers no matter where else they were. The disturbing thing about the cave was that xhe'd never imagined that higher shifters would ever succumb to the same base desires as Ghouls had, feeing only on Ghouls or the dying remains of the things that they happened upon. As such, most if not all of the shifters of the cave were only as strong as they were because they been here so long. It seemed they had all but forgotten the outside world.
Suel waited for the girl-child to finish drinking before announcing "Time to leave."
The girl-child nodded, took hold of her spheres and went over to xhir. It took her a few attempts before she was able to get onto xhir back, and she dug into xhir side a couple of times, but eventually she mounted up. Once xhe felt her settle in, xhe lurched to xhir feet. Xhir body made a slurping sound as xhe got up and it took xhir a moment to free xhirself of the muck xhe'd sunk into. Xhe padded around on the bank as xhe searched for a solid enough point to leap from. Xhe didn't want to worry about sticking down anymore than xhe needed to. Once xhe was sure of xhir footing, xhe leapt towards the cliff face they'd descended before.
Xhe hit the cliff with a wet thud. Xhe realized only as xhe scrambled for a handhold that there might be a reason that the other shifters didn't leave the cave. The cliff face was a slippery, slimy mess, worse even than the shore. Each time xhe thought xhe had a hold of the wall, the chunk xhe was gripping would fall away into the river below with a soft plop. It was a battle to stay where xhe was, much less make any progress upwards. Xhe couldn't pause and try to work out a strategy since stopping meant sliding back down.
Xhe'd begun to shift out more limbs to grip with when xhe found a handhold. It was a small nub of a thing but it didn't fall away from the cliff when he grabbed onto it. That was also when xhe discovered that xhir hands were covered with the same kind of slime that covered the rest of the wall. Each time xhe tried to grip it, xhir hand would begin to slide off.
Suel howled in frustration and shifted xhir hand, twisting and spinning it until all of the muck was flung off. Then xhe shifted it until it came to a single sharp point which xhe slammed deep into the hold. The hold cracked in half and parts of it began to fall away, but for the most part it held. Free now to search in eager for another handhold, Suel shifted xhir other hand into a scraper and began to clean the muck from the wall, starting from the solid handhold xhe'd found and working xhir way outwards.
Xhe began to work at a fever pitch as the ooze fell away to revel solid stone. Xhe crawled up the wall inch by inch, slamming xhir sharpened, pointed hand into the wall each time he found a good spot. Xhe paused when xhe heard the girl-child squirming on xhir back. Xhe slammed xhir hands into the wall to maintain xhir position and twisted xhir head around so that xhe could see her.
The girl-child was covered by a mass of large mud globs and pebbles. Her face was indiscernible underneath the slime that had fallen from the wall. The rest of her was just as mucky and xhe only knew where her arms and legs were because xhe felt her clinging to xhir. There was a small spot on her chest that had crusted and hardened but that was thanks to the heat sphere and it existed only there.
At the moment she was writhing on xhir back, attempting to rub the sludge off of her various bits. She was unwilling to let go of xhir, certain that if she released xhir she would fall away back into the waters below. She looked pathetic.
Suel shifted xhir tail from the short, stubby thing xhe kept it as most of the time into a long, vine-like shape. Xhe twitched it around to ensure that it was as responsive as xhe wanted it to be, adding flexibility as needed. Once xhe was content with the shape, xhe cracked it through the air and sent the mud clinging to it off into the distance.
The girl-child jumped at the sound, looking around to see what had made the noise. Her shock was soon overcome by muffled giggles as Suel set to work cleaning her off with xhir shifted tail. It was hard going as the heat sphere had hardened enough of it to cake on the grime, so Suel added a frill to the end of the tail as well. Change made, the process went along much smoother and in no time at all her face began to peak out from underneath the thick layer of slit and clay.
Eyes and mouth now clear, the girl-child screamed when she saw xhir face peering down at her. "Your head's on backwards!" she cried.
Suel ignored her, content to finish cleaning off xhir back before responding. "It sees what it wants."
She stared at xhir as he worked. She didn't take her eyes off xhir face. "But it's backwards," she said again, eyes wide as she took in what she saw. "Heads aren't supposed to be backwards."
"Goes where it likes," said Suel, flicking xhir tail over her one last time before xhe was sure that xhe'd removed all of the muck from the cave wall. Xhe pressed xhir tail up against her to secure her against xhir back and then shook xhirself, flinging away any remaining gunk. Xhe grew out the hair around xhir neck and back as well, lengthening it until it was a mane of fur large enough to cover her face.
Girl-child and back now clean; Suel turned xhir head forward and looked up at the wall of mud once again. Xhe attacked the filth on the wall with newfound gusto and in little time xhe was able to find yet another handhold. Xhe reached out for it and pulled up to it, releasing a tension that xhe hadn't known xhe'd had. Xhe pulled out xhir other hand and reshaped it into a scraper, repeating the process each time xhe found a new hold. It wasn't the fastest ascent xhe'd ever done but it went much better than xhe'd begun to fear it would. Every so often xhe'd wipe the muck off of xhir back and the girl-child. Now that xhe was climbing with speed, though, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been.
Sometime later, for Suel had long since lost track of the time, Suel felt the top of the cliff. Xhe reshaped xhir hands into picks and drove them into the flat surface of the cliff, wrenching and pulling xhir body upwards until xhe was no longer clinging for dear life. When xhe was certain that xhe was safe over the edge, xhe hammered against the ground. Xhe waited a moment, leaving once xhe sound of slime and muck sloorping and glooping back into the cracks xhe'd cleared. Xhe didn't expect to return so anything still down there would need to be clever enough to get out on its own.
The girl-child, certain that they were now horizontal rather than vertical, poked her head up. "Is it safe to come down yet?" she asked.
Suel crouched down and let her off. She scampered away but never went far enough that she lost sight of xhir. Something more here? Xhe was tired from the effort, more tired than xhe should be. It wasn't the strain of shifting, although xhe did feel that as well. No, this was the ache of muscles in action and strain of physical energy spent. Xhir body burned and throbbed, crying out for things xhe hadn't had in ages; xhe wanted food and true rest. It had been so long since xhe'd forced xhirself to work xhir body that xhe'd almost forgotten what it was like. Xhe considered shifting the pain until it vanished but thought better of it. Xhir body hurt, true, but it was a good hurt. It made xhir feel alive.
The girl-child had found her way to the first marker on their path out. She was close enough to it that xhe could see her outline in its light, but far enough that she couldn't feel it. Suel took xhir time as went up to her. Xhe knew there was no real risk in this part of the cave but xhe kept a wary eye out nonetheless. No sense in allowing something to come up from behind, after all.
Xhe ambled up to her and absorbed the fear marker back into xhir body, running a paw over the spot to ensure that xhe didn't miss anything since there was no sense in leaving a trail for something to follow. Xhe looked ahead and spied the next marker. Xhe ambled towards it, taking plodding steps as xhe went. The girl-child had decided to race ahead to it, now sure of her ability to find it and not get lost.
Suel began to regret giving her both the heat and the light spheres but then thought of what she'd been like before xhe gave them to her and thought better of it. She wasn't as curious as she had been when they had ventured inwards, but xhe dismissed the thought as soon as it came. There was no sense in worrying over nothing, after all, and her fears and worries weren't really xhir concern. At least, that's what xhe told xhirself. Overall, the journey out wasn't as eventful as the journey in. That's what xhe'd expected, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Nothing slithered up behind them, nothing had interfered with the markers; everything went well.
When they reached the entrance to the cave, the girl-child slowed down and paused in front of her mother's burial mound. She paused and bowed her head for a moment before continuing out.
Suel looked at her and then at the mound. While the chances of anything from the cave leaving were slim, if something did find its out it would find a veritable guide of memories in regards to finding xhir herds. This was unacceptable, so Suel reshaped xhir claws and began to dig out the mound.
"What are you doing?" screamed the girl-child as she looked back at xhir.
"Duty," said Suel as xhe began to shovel away the mounds of dirt. Xhe felt the girl-child pulling at xhir as xhe began to toss the stones they'd gather off to the side.
"You'll upset the Earth Mother," insisted the girl-child as she continued to pull at xhir.
This gave Suel pause for only a moment as xhe considered the Earth Mother once again. The Earth Mother must be important to the girl-child if she thought to warn xhir about it, but xhe tossed aside the notion. Xhir herds were important as well, and xhe didn't want to throw them aside for some creature xhe'd never encountered or even heard of before the girl-child brought it up. Xhe continued to dig.
Suel moved the last few stones, exposing the girl-child's mother. Xhe saw the memories glistening inside her body, just as bright now as when they'd buried her. Xhe reopened the wound from before once again and force out a string of fear, spinning it out as it emerged until all that remained was another sphere of light. Xhe then peeled back the top of the little sphere until it was open as a flower in spring with a myriad of petals waiting for something land in them.
Sphere in one hand, Suel crouched over the girl-child's mother and reached a gentle, ethereal hand into her and began to pluck out her memories. Xhe started with a large mass at the center of her being. Xhe plucked it out with little enough trouble but the instant it was exposed to raw air the memories become disjointed, breaking apart and streaming off in to the distance. Xhe was able to capture most of them, wrapping them within a few petals in the sphere. Xhe reached out to snatch the few wisps of memories that had escaped xhir grasp the first time and wrapped them up in the sphere as well.
Xhe turned xhir attention back to the girl-child's mother. The memories began to swarm, twisting and dancing towards the gap xhe'd created in what was left of her memories. Xhe began to pluck out clumps of memories in earnest, waiting moments for them congeal before pulling them out. Xhe reached out to remove the memories in her head and the memories from her gut and other low parts. Each clump broke apart a little but now that Suel had the way of it, xhe was able to move the memories from the girl-child's mother to the sphere with no problems.
Soon enough the woman was nothing more than an empty shell of flesh, all memories and traces of her past life now gone. Suel removed xhir hand and forced it into a more physical state once again and began to rebury the girl-child's mother.
The girl-child ran up to xhir now that he was done and tried to take one last peek at her. "She looks the same, but not," she said, tilting her head one way and then the other as she looked down at her mother.
"Removed memories," said Suel as xhe shuffled up to her and began to replace the rocks from before. He made sure that each one had a proper place and so this time the mound was a much more ordered thing, well sealed and protected in case something from the caverns below did try to uncover her.
"Where is she now, then?" asked the girl-child.
Suel handed her the sphere of memories to her. "In here," xhe said. She looked at the memories, enchanted by them as they swam through each other. "Now come," xhe said, turning to leave the cave and begun the process of restoring her to her own herd.