Chapter 7
The pig dog lowered his head, dejected, and Cael's arms tightened around Midori's body. He remained unsure of the beast despite Midori's trust in it. However, if the creature so much as looked at her wrong, he'd butcher it for its meat and fur.
"Pugly, you can speak?"
"Yes, beauteous star who guides my path."
Midori turned to Cael, and he noticed the questions in her eyes. "Your translation nanites are picking up on the creature's speech patterns. Or grunt patterns in this case. They are translating them for you. It's possible the creature has some sort of telepathic ability of its own and can understand you as well."
A smile broke across her face, and Cael's heart melted. He loved that such a simple thing made her happy. He'd have to think of other ways she might be pleased.
"That's amazing! Pugly, I can understand you."
She scratched the top of the beast's head, and a look of bliss passed over Pugly's face before he opened his eyes and shook off her hand.
"Yes, effulgent one. I can read your mind and make out your strange tongue as well. Mostly. Unless you just said you want to ride me like a canoe, because that's kind of what it sounded like. But I digress—for I came to warn you. A predator is scaling the mountain. I believe it wishes to eat you."
A massive roar from the mountainside reverberated through the cave, punctuating Pugly's message. Cael jumped to his feet and grabbed his blaster, aiming it at the cave entrance.
"What can you tell us about it? How close is it?" he asked the hairy beast.
"From the sound of its roar, I believe it's a vyrmm. They slither up the sides of mountains during storms and hunt creatures seeking shelter in caves. It's how I lost my mother and siblings. A vyrmm slithered into our cave in the middle of the night. Since I was the runt of the litter, I hid underneath some rocks and was passed over. When I woke up the next morning, I was all alone."
Cael lifted the blaster, and another roar shook the cave. “Will this be enough to deter it?"
Pugly sniffed at the air and raised his bushy eyebrows. "Doubtful."
Midori had dressed during their conversation and was pulling on her shoes. "What about the fire?" she asked. "Will that keep it away?"
Pugly grunted. "I think we're on the verge of finding out."
A deafening roar filled the cave as the vyrmm attempted to claw its way in. The beast was enormous, its shaggy purple-furred head nearly too large to fit through the cave's entrance. Razor-sharp talons gripped the lip of the cave as the vyrmm struggled to pull itself inside. Cael shot the beast in the head with his blaster, but it only roared with renewed vigor.
An overwhelming sense of protection came over Cael as he stepped between Midori and the beast. In that moment, he knew he'd do everything possible to protect her, even if it meant laying down his own life. The Earthan woman had become more and more precious since the moment she first ran into him, but now he knew without a doubt she'd become the most important person in his life. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, no matter the cost.
"Take Midori farther into the cave. Look for an exit of any kind. If you cannot find one, hide." Hopefully, it will be satisfied with just me.
Pugly snuffed his understanding and herded Midori toward the back of the cave where the walls became more narrow.
The vyrmm's head was practically all the way through, its gaping maw thrashing and baring teeth the size of daggers. Its furry head gave way to a torso of shining scales as the beast pulled more of its body inside. Cael fired his blaster again and again, aiming for weak points in the beast's flesh, but the creature barely slowed down. Finally, with his blaster depleted, Cael threw it to the ground and grabbed four handfuls of torches from the fire. Perhaps the creature's fur would catch flame. He'd just have to get close enough to try without its claws eviscerating him first. He took a deep breath and prepared to charge the beast.
"Cael! Here! Pugly's found something."
Midori tugged Cael's elbow, and he turned just as the vyrmm finally slithered its way inside the cave.
"Come on!" Midori yelled, pulling him after her.
Cael allowed her to lead him back into the recesses of the cave while he swept the burning torches back and forth. The vyrmm evaded the fire and slithered onto the cave's ceiling, its serpentine body clinging to the rock with its four deadly-looking clawed feet. Cael swung the torches in its direction, and the beast hissed at the flames.
"Pugly thinks he may have found an exit. Over here!"
Cael looked over his shoulder to see the pig dog using its front two hooves and snout to push at a pile of rocks. Some stones had already rolled away, revealing a hole in the cave wall almost large enough to fit through.
"Hold this," Cael said, handing two of the torches to Midori. With his two free hands, he pulled aside a small boulder, revealing more of the hole. It was large enough for at least Midori to fit through.
"Keep going. It has to be large enough for all of us," Midori said. She swung the torches toward the vyrmm. The beast had crawled halfway down the cave wall.
Cael pushed aside another boulder. Pugly could now fit through the large hole. But who knew if the tunnel remained that size farther in? Perhaps it narrowed into a dead end after only a short distance. Perhaps they would be as trapped in the tunnel as they were in the cave. The roaring beast lunged down the wall and swiped at the fire. Now was not the time to worry about what ifs.
"Get in the tunnel," he said, taking the torches from Midori. She nodded and crawled inside.
"Now you!" Cael nodded at Pugly.
The pig dog sniffed at the cave and took a step back. "I should confess, I'm not great with dark, tight spaces. Perhaps I should wait out here."
"Wait out here and you're going to become vyrmm food. Get in there! Midori needs you."
The pig dog took a deep breath, gave a curt nod, and plunged into the hole, leaving Cael behind.
The vyrmm roared and dropped to the cave floor, its massive head thrashing back and forth as it drew nearer. Cael thrust the burning torches into the beast's mouth as it lunged at him. The creature reared back for a moment, giving Ceal just enough time to follow Midori and Pugly into the tunnel. He scurried in on his hands and knees, the walls of the mountain swallowing him as he plunged farther and farther into its heart.
The vyrmm scraped madly at the tunnel, but the entrance was much too small for the beast to crawl through. Cael glanced back behind him as the vyrmm attempted to claw its way in. The beast roared, closing off the tunnel in a rain of rocks and boulders in its fury.
Complete and utter darkness filled Cael's senses.
"Midori?" he called out. There was no answer.
He was alone.
Unexpected panic welled up in Cael's chest and threatened to overwhelm him. His ears pounded with the throb of blood pulsing through his veins while ragged breaths filled his lungs.
Calm yourself. She's here somewhere, and you're in no shape care for her like this.
Cael closed his eyes, although the amount of light didn't change. With the tunnel entrance blocked, he couldn't see a single thing. But the act of shutting his eyes helped him feel more grounded. Taking deep breaths, he steadied his shallow breathing and allowed his pulse to slow. If he couldn't hear Midori and the pig dog beast, there must be room up ahead. He needed to continue on. He'd find them.
The sides of the mountain tunnel were smooth and cool to his touch as he crawled forward through the small cave. Luckily, the size of the tunnel remained constant and his body could fit through. Cael hoped it remained so and then realized the rotund body of the pig dog beast was easily as large as him. He hadn't run into the creature's furry hind end stuck in the tunnel so far, so that was a good sign.
He called Midori's name, and it reverberated over the cold stone as his voice echoed through the cave. Cael stopped and listened for a response. The panic threatened to return when all that greeted his ears was silence, but he forced himself to move forward.
"Cael!"
He nearly collapsed with relief when Midori's call reached his ears, even though it was faint and seemed to come from far away.
"I'm coming!" A renewed burst of energy surged through him, and Cael picked up his pace, crawling even faster through the tunnel.
"Midori, I'm on my way!"
"Be careful of the?—"
He was sliding through the darkness, tumbling head over heels down a slope. Frantically, he reached for purchase against the walls but couldn't grab hold of the smooth stone. He slid through the dizzying darkness. It felt like he might never stop. The ground vanished, leaving him plummeting through empty air. A dim blue light from below lit the smooth walls for the few seconds he was in mid-air before he landed with a splash.
A gush of liquid filled his lungs as he breathed in with surprise. He was in a mountain pool. With powerful thrusts, he pushed his body up. Sputtering, he broke the surface of an underground mountain lake.
"Cael, over here!"
Midori sat on the edge of the pool next to the pig dog, both of them soaking wet. With quick strokes, he swam over and pulled himself over the edge. A renewed round of gasping coughs shook his body as he spewed out the remaining liquid. Thankfully, it was only water. He laid on the side of the pool and rested as the burning in his lungs subsided.
"You're safe!" Midori said, crawling next to him and laying her head on his chest. "I was so worried the vyrmm had taken you when you weren't right behind us."
Cael wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his heaving chest. "It wasn't too happy when I slipped away, and it closed the tunnel behind me. I guess it doesn't matter now that we're down here. I don't think we'd be able to climb back up anyway." Cael nodded at the hole he'd just dropped from above the mountain lake. There was no way for them to return the way they came. "I guess we're stuck here for now."
Midori sniffed. "Wherever here is."
Cael heard the fear in her voice and pulled her closer. He did not know where they were and how they'd get home, but he was going to do everything necessary to keep Midori safe.
No matter the cost.