Journey Chapter 37

Back on Scorched Earth, several hours before.

Forest, Crimson and Nightfall waited in the dark as the flaming bird seemingly died and turn to dust. Forest was amazed, he had never seen or heard of a creature ever like that before. Nightfall explained to him that the bird was called a phoenix, a bird made of fire. And that they only can survive during the superheats, and that at the end of each superheat they turn to ashes to wait until the next superheat. He also believes that humans are the only key for a phoenix to ever live normally outside a superheat. Forest wasn’t sure if he believed the last part, but he was amazed and saddened by the life of a phoenix.

“Forest, where’s your bag?” Crimson asked after getting some more water.

Forest completely forgot about loosing his bag and the Rune. The phoenix had distracted him from his problems, but he didn’t know how to answer them. “I, uh…I- I don’t know, I lost it. I don’t think I grabbed it off of Methuselah in the panic.” Forest said.

“And was the Rune in your bag?” Nightfall asked, Forest nodded. Nightfall started squawking something and Crimson jaw dropped.

“You lost our only way out of this place.” Nightfall exclaimed. “Yes.” Forest said.

“We’re dead, we’re all going to die!!” Nightfall yelled in panic,

“You don’t have to exaggerate Nightfall, We’ll go look for it after Methuselah finds u-” “You don’t get it do you, if we’re here for even an extra day. The Order will hunt us down like prey, and they will no matter the circumstances or what animals we have with us. They will find a way to exterminate us.” Nightfall said interrupting Crimson.

“How can they hunt us down, you were in a different place and they don’t have runes. So what’s the big deal?” Crimson asked.

“Did you not hear what I said earlier, they can communicate across the Arks by using the obelisks. They will announce a hunt for our head and they will hunt us down on any Ark we are on including this one!!” Nightfall said panicking.

“Who can communicate through the Arks?” A voice said coming into view, it was Methuselah. Forest gave a sigh of relief.

“We’re glad you’re okay!!” Forest said.

“I’m okay, it felt good to fight something. Haven’t had a good fight in a long time. But I thought I didn’t expect you three to go to the third oasis away from us. I searched the desert for hours thinking you three got lost.” Methuselah said, he seemed worried. This felt, odd.

“Well, we did get lost. But we had some help finding this oasis. Though they are help is… no longer here.” Forest said, Methuselah nodded.

“Phoenix, wasn’t it?” he said, Nightfall nodded “yeah, they love they’re heat. Probably knew the one that lead you here.”.

Forest looked at Methuselah. He had a couple of new gashes on his back and underbelly from the mandibles of those creatures, and his largest spike on his back now partially gone. Forest also took a moment to noticed several burns, all being different type of burns. All damaging his scales and even his flesh for one of them. He wondered what did this to him.

“Hey!! That’s Forest’s bag!!” Crimson yelled. Forest didn’t even realize that within Methuselah’s talon, was Forest’s bag.

“Ah, so it’s your bag, drake. I found it in the dunes where we were fighting. I had a strange feeling that I should grab it, I’m glad I did.” Methuselah said, this sounded oddly familiar to Forest. But he wasn’t sure from where he heard it before.

“Here, check and see if everything’s inside. It got really thrown around out there in the dunes.” Methuselah said as he threw the bag at Forest. Forest caught it and held it. He opened it up and started pulling stuff out. He noticed a few things were missing, but the rune was still there. He grabbed it and pulled it out of the bag. It was glowing a bit more than it was before. It’s green light shined beautifully in the dark night.

“Is that the rune?” He asked, Forest looked at him for a moment.

“It’s beautiful, it. Reminds me of a story I was told as a hatchling.” he said, Forest shot a glance of surprise at the old pseudisuchian.

“What story?” Forest asked,

“I’ll tell you later, right now you all should get what you need to drink or eat while not moving. The rest of the journey will take all night and most of the morning to get there.” Methuselah said, Forest looked at him and nodded. Then he went off to the watering hole with Crimson.

“Well that was… weird and totally not suspicious.” Crimson said sarcastically.

“Yeah, I don’t know what that was about.” Forest said,

“Let’s just get ready and hope this guy isn’t going to murder us.”

Nightfall watched the two leave and went to the watering hole to make sure they were ready for the trip. He turned and looked at Methuselah.

“So, when are you going to tell them?”

“what are you talking about?”

“Look, I am not young like them and I’m more knowledgeable about the Arks and their cultures’ they have.” Nightfall said, Methuselah looked down at him and snorted.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I know about the World’s Scar and its residents. And I know that they have a mysterious legend that originated about three hundred years ago, but I don’t know what it is. I know also of their rituals. Which for some reason you have partaken in. The only reason I have let you help us this far is because I hope they can help us out of this place and get further ahead away from who is hunting us down.” Nightfall said, Methuselah gave him a look. A too smart for your own good type of look.

“Catch up with your friends, and don’t tell them your conspiracies. Your quite the imaginative creature, I don’t want you to scare them over old stories and silly untruths about them.” Methuselah said, he looked genuine. Nightfall nodded.

“I wasn’t planning on it, and I usually don’t believe in stereotypes about most of them. Except for the hate of my kind from them. Is that true?” Nightfall asked.

“Go with your friends. They’ll need you, and so will you.”

~

Crimson watched the night sky on the back of Methuselah, she sat there staring into the sky alone. Forest had gone asleep a little bit ago. Nightfall took this upon himself to catch a few hours of sleep too before he would be up for days on end. Methuselah swam through the sand like it was the open sea. And she didn’t think he would notice her.

She thought about Rust, she was still mad at him for the dodo brain thing he did. Enough to clamp her jaws around his throat long enough to make him raspy. But she wondered if he was alright, if he was like her out there in an unknown world to him. He was alone, and up against who knows what. They had giant worms, living rocks, and this place made you dream of finding cool water flowing into your mouth. If he was anywhere like this place, and that he had no friends to help him out. It made her worry about him all the more.

It wasn’t like that she didn’t care about the other’s though. She was just worried about him most with his big blabber mouth. She was worried for the other’s too, but Spark knew how to handle herself. Nyx should be fine too, she seems to handle it well. At least she thought she did. She was probably fine. Rust was one she worried about because he had no self control over his big, toothy, kinda cute, trap. She sighed, maybe she was just worrying for no reason.

She needed to get her mind off of these thoughts or she would never get any sleep. She looked over at Forest and his bag, and took a couple steps forward before grabbing the bag with her mouth and pulling it over to her. She wanted to see the rune, she never got to hold it or really look at it before. And she wanted to see what the fuss was, why Forest really didn’t like it. What was the big deal anyway, besides getting them into this mess via Rust.

She opened the bag to see the rune on top of all of Forest’s stuff. It glowed rhythmically in the night with it’s green. She grabbed it with her paw and held it without doing anything with it. It felt strange, almost alien to the touch. It wasn’t the same temperature as everything else she felt either, it was like it was alive itself within her paws.

She suddenly felt a jolt, and found herself somewhere she didn’t recognize. Purplish haze and static blocked out a lot of her view of the area, but she saw enough to see some redwoods and grass. She started hearing roars and screeching, then she heard Rust yelling within the mix.

“Rust!!” She yelled as she started running. She didn’t know where to go and the noise seemed to come from everywhere.

“Stop, stop!!” Rust yelled from the distance.

“Rust!!” Crimson yelled out before she suddenly felt a jolt again. She was back on Methuselah’s back. Back i the desert, with the rune in her paws.

“No, no no. Take me back.” She said quietly staring at the rune. She started shaking it.

“Take me back!!” She said a little louder.

“Did you say something hun?” Methuselah said, Crimson went quiet for a moment. She quickly but softly put the rune back into the back and tossed the bag back over by Forest.

“Uh, no. I didn’t I was just heading to bed.” Crimson said. Methuselah grunted.

“Missing someone?” Methuselah asked,

“What?” Crimson responded.

“Your missing someone? Family, friends, significant other? Do you got any?” Methuselah said,

“Friends. Good friends…” Crimson said, Methuselah grunted again.

“No family?” He asked, she din’t answer.

“I see, sorry to mention it. Are they dead or just don’t talk to them?” He asked, she didn’t answer again.

“I had a family once, I don’t know where my parents are, and my family…they… died. Acros killed them three years ago, I was out hunting. I came back and found them. Had a daughter who would about your age now. Her name was Pyla. She was rambunctious for a Fasolasuchus. She was sweet, kind-hearted— I’m sorry. I don’t mean to tell you my story. I was just saying that, if your parents are alive. Make up with them, you won’t know how much you’ll miss them when they are gone. And if they are gone, embrace the good memories, remember the regret but don’t let make you who you are. Life’s hard if let grief control it.” Methuselah said, seeming to sound like he was choking up. Crimson seemed to ignore what he said.

“I am gonna go to sleep now.” She said, Methuselah nodded.

“Goodnight then, I’m sorry if I scared you there. I didn’t mean to.” He said,

She curled up in a ball and laid there, not making a sound. But tears coming down her snout as she tried to go to sleep. Hearing the words, but not knowing how to live them out.