Hannke woke up burning hot. He couldn’t move. He didn’t know why he was so hot, but he knew that if cobras could sweat, that was what he would be doing now. He did a quick glance around. Phew, he was still in the canal cave, safe and snug. Wren was curled up peacefully by the pool of water, and he was in his usual rocky corner. The intense heat that he had been feeling earlier faded away, and so did his sleep paralysis. He relaxed, and curled up tighter against the stone.
In the little time he had before Wren awoke, Hannke tried to remember his dream. He remembered it to have been frightening, the kind of dream that he would have had vividly imprinted in his mind. As Hannke dove deeper into his mind, it slowly came back to him.
There had been a hill. First there was a sunset, then a gibbous moon. Cougars. Yes, cougars. Cougars were important somehow . . .
“Hannke!” Wren broke his train of thought. “Quit dawdling and get us out of here!”
Hannke swore he could’ve jumped out of skin. Wren had come out of nowhere, flaring her wings and jumping about. Was she still angry at him? He wouldn’t be surprised.
“Hannke, wake up!”Wren reached out and shook him. “You need to either give up on having those feelings, or get us out of here!”
“I get I get it I get it!” Hannke cried, snapping her away like a pesky insect with his tail. “I’ll-I’ll try to find a way out if you stop bugging me!” He hissed. “Just leave me alone!”
“Boy, you are a grouch today!” Wren snapped. “Sure, I’ll leave you alone! Just stay away from me!” And then she stormed off, past the pool, into the shadows of a large stalagmite.
As he watched her go, Hannke felt broken. Why had he yelled? Wren was just tired and frustrated, just like him! “I’m sorry!” He cried into the darkness, but there was no reply. He turned away and curled up tighter. “Another failure for Hannke the idiot.”
. . .
As the dim light danced around him, Hannke almost thought that he saw other snakes. No way, he thought, that’s insane. Then again, maybe I am insane. He added glumly. The darkness was really getting to him.
Wait-was that a flash? Hannke turned his head sharply, staring off in the direction of the far wall. Nothing. The shadows were playing tricks on his eyes again. Then he saw it again. A quick dark blur, as if a small creature—perhaps a mongoose or a ferret or a wildcat—was trying to make a fast escape. Hannke squinted. His night vision had already let his eyes adjust to the darkness long ago, but there were shadows all around, and many places to hide. Suddenly a rock clattered in the direction of the far wall. Hannke thought he saw something flash in the darkness.
Someone was definitely there.
Hannke stayed perfectly still, holding his breath. What should he do? If he didn’t move fast, the creature would be gone before he learned anything.
Finally, he decided to wake Wren and follow it.
Hannke crept around the boulders and stalagmites, careful not to make a sound and scare whatever had dashed through the dark. He tried to pinpoint where the creature might have gone. He flattened himself against a rock to get around the pool without splashing.
When he reached Wren, he lowered his head and whispered under his breath; “Wren,”
Wren’s wings shot out and she leapt to her feet. She blinked twice, and then calmed her thundering heart. “What is it, Hannke?” She hissed. “You scared me half to death.”
“You’ve got to check this out!” Hannke whispered as quietly as he could without being silent. “Follow me!” He started off, but then Wren yanked him back.
“Wait, wait a moment,” She whispered. “What do you want to show me now?”
“I saw a creature of some sort in the dark—I want to follow it!” Hannke replied excitedly.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” Wren brightened.
“Yes! We might be able to find another way out!”
Wren nodded. “I’m with you!” She said softly. “Alright, let’s follow this creature!”
Silence fell over the duo as they made their way around the pool and back to the other side of the cave. Hannke paused to listen but heard nothing. He scanned the room to the fullest extent of his night vision, but there was not a soul in sight. Except for he and Wren, of course.
Hannke let out a silent hiss of frustration. Had he been too slow or too loud? Well, with Wren awake and slowly becoming more agitated, there was no point giving up now. The place where he had last seen the creature seemed like a logical place to start. Minus the fact that it might be hiding with the intentions of leaping out and killing them. No, the creature had been small and fast, like a mongoose, not likely to attack an (almost) full sized cobra and a fiesty egret.
“I saw it here,” Hannke whispered under his breath, gesturing to the far wall. Wren nodded and stepped a few paces forward, and ran her wing over the rough calcite and limestone. The air was mustier over here and the ground and walls were faintly damp.
“Tell me about this creature you saw,” Wren said slowly and quietly, as if not to disturb the eerie serenity of the cave. She sait down, perched on one of the giant roots that protruded out from the ceiling.
“It was small,” Hannke began. “Mongoose sized. It moved with quick, swift movements.” He paused. What else had he noticed? “It moved silently, and it sounded like it knew where it was going. I saw something flash—but it wasn't the eyes. I think it was light—light from outside.”
“Did you see the eyes?” Wren asked. “Did they glow?”
Hannke shook his head. “No. No—I think they were black.”
“Then it couldn’t have been a wildcat,” Wren concluded. “And I don’t think mongoose can have black eyes, so maybe a ferret?”
“I didn’t know ferrets lived around here,” Hannke racked his brain for what Guardian had told him about these agile creatures. “We’d be really lucky to see one in this area.”
He thought a little more about Wren’s theory. Ferrets weren’t native to the area, but then again, Hannke had never seen a wildcat either. In fact, even if they did live in the forest, he doubted that one would be hiding so deep in a cave. And what was the shining light about? As Hannke pondered the possible animals that could have darted through the cave, Wren was staring intensely at the red clay and smooth limestone. Perhaps she’s on to something, Hannke thought, but he doubted it.
Suddenly a thought struck him. “Hey Wren!” he whispered excitedly. “What if the mongoose who were liv-”
He paused. Wren didn’t seem to be paying much attention. She was still running her wing over the uneven surface of the wall. Hannke sighed inwardly, and then went back to thinking.
He tried to focus on what the creature might be, but his mind kept wandering back to the brief flash that he’d seen through the darkness, and then back. I’m an inadequate thinker. Hannke thought. I can’t even concentrate on one thing for a few seconds!
Hannke remembered what he had seen before the creature, the shadows that moved like cobras in the dark. Their forked tongues had flitted around, like streaks of mud on sandstone boulders. He thought about all of the strange dreams and feelings he had been experiencing recently. Were they all connected? If so, how and why were they being sent to him?
Most importantly, who was sending them?
CONCENTRATE, HANNKE! His mind screamed. He was wandering off again. What was going on?!? Why was he so unreliable these days?
“AHA!” Wren exclaimed, making Hannke jump. “Eureka! I’ve got it!” She hopped from foot to foot, scattering dust in Hannke’s eyes.
“Got what?” Hannke asked, forgetting to keep his voice down. He shook the dust off and turned to face her.
“I think I know where the creature went!”
Hannke froze. “Seriously?”
“Yes seriously!” Wren excitedly. Then she paused. “We have to keep our voices down, though.” Hannke nodded and slowly slithered quietly to her side.
“Okay,” Wren gestured to the wall, and ran a small circle around a certain area, and then turned to Hannke with glittering eyes. “Let’s run through the clues again. The creature was small, right?”
Hannke nodded. “Check.”
“Alright. Let’s see. We’ve concluded that it must be a ferret, or a stoat, or maybe maybe a mongoose.”
A stoat! Hannke hadn’t thought of that before, but now it kind of made sense. A stoat was small and fast. A stoat could likely be the creature.
“But it must've had claws.”
Hannke stopped short in his thinking. “Claws?” He asked quietly. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Oh, you’ll see.” Wren said mysteriously, with a smile. She continued listing clues. “The flash of light. It wasn’t eyes, it wasn’t something bioluminescent, Hannke, my friend, it was outside light.”
Hannke gasped. “Wait—outside light? That’s crazy! How would-”
“Just watch.” Wren grunted, and then started leaning against the wall. Hannke watched in awe as the wall started to cave in. Bits of earth and clay and roots showed as Wren pushed. She paused, caught her breath, and then kicked at the stone with all of her might. The stone leaned in greatly with a groan, and when Hannke gave it a push, there was a thump! as the stone clattered to the ground.
“Hooray!” Wren shouted, but then Hannke slapped his tail over her beak.
“We’re being quiet, remember?” He hissed under his breath.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhh right,” Wren said, somewhat sarcastically.
Hannke turned his attention to the gaping hole left in the wall. It was as high as he was, and it led to a narrow tunnel with a pale but steady glow. “Woah, Wren, you were right!” He exclaimed, his eyes wide.
“Yes, I’m very all-knowing.” Wren said proudly. She was right. Wren knew everything.
Sort of.
With the faded glow coming from the jagged tunnel entrance, it very well seemed like an obvious escape route. Just a few rock-scrambles would lead you to the hole, and once you hauled yourself in, the tunnel sloped gently down from there.
“Let’s go in!” Wren declared, bringing Hannke’s thoughts into voice. But as soon as she said it out loud, Hannke was filled with a sudden doubt.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hannke found himself saying. “There could be all sorts of dangers hidden in there. Tunnel collapsing, dangerous animals, lava-”
“Sush!” Wren cut him off. “You were the one who insisted on a feeling. I get to be the one who decides that we go in. And also lava? Are you serious, Hannke?”
Hannke was starting to feel a little stupid. “Okay, fine. We’re going in. Besides, it can’t be that bad, can it?”
“Great, Hannke, you just jinxed us!” Wren sighed. “Now it will be that bad!”
Hannke shrugged it off and turned his gaze back to the hole. “I’ll go first, to test it out.” He said, and to his relief, Wren didn’t protest. Maybe she was a little scared herself, after all.
So he began to climb.
And oh, river-snakes, it was hard. A cobra is built for climbing trees and branches, not scaling walls and rocks. Hannke was out of breath and he’d just barely started. Luckily, Wren came to his rescue, helping him struggle up the rest of the way.
Inside the tunnel, it was hot and stuffy. “We’d better replace the stone,” Hannke decided, and it was easier said than done. But it wasn’t as hard as knocking it over in the first place.
“So . . . shall the brave adventurers continue?” Wren asked, giving him a wink. Hannke was shocked. He had never thought of himself as brave before. He was determined, yes. And he pursued his interests no matter what. But brave? He didn’t remember doing a single brave thing in his entire life.
“Yes, I think they shall,” Hannke decided, and they were off.
. . .
After half an hour or so of silent traveling (and when Hannke was beginning to feel sick from the tight space and stuffy air) they found footprints. They were unlike any footprints Hannke had ever seen before.
“They must be the creature’s!” Wren said excitedly, forgetting to keep her voice down again. But for now, it didn’t really matter.
Hannke nodded. “I think you’re right.” He said with a flick of his tail. “That seems very right.”
“Thank you,” Wren said happily, “for actually listening to me.”
Hannke felt a slight flicker of guilt for pushing Wren into all of his problems, which was quickly replaced with admiration for his friend.
“Where do you think it’s going?” Hannke asked curiously.
“I don’t know.” Wren shrugged. “It’s got to be somewhere with light, which probably means—outside! An area finally rid of this stuffy air.”
“That makes me think.” Hannke said. “Where does that stuffy air come from?”
Wren paused, like she had never considered this idea before. Really, Hannke doubted that she had. “That’s a new thought.” She said finally. “I’m starting to think there might be a fire on the other end of the tunnel, or maybe--”
“Maybe lava,” Hannke joked.
Wren looked up at him with her shining blue eyes. “My exact thoughts.”
For a few seconds, Hannke couldn’t speak. “But-but I thought-but I thought that was a stupid idea . . .” He said finally. “I thought that was a really silly, stupid idea.”
Wren’s smile widened. “I thought so too, at first. But you never know . . .”
Hannke’s heart started to beat a little faster. “If that’s so . . . I am not sure I want to keep going anymore . . .”
“Oh, come on, you big sap,” Wren said, rolling her eyes. “We’re being adventurous, and you promised to let me decide things for a little while anyways.”
Hannke was torn. He knew he was a huge coward, and cowards liked to run-er, slither-from every potential danger. But Wren was his best friend, and best friends always stuck together, never broke promises, and believed in each other when things got tough. Wren would surely do the same for him.
Hannke swallowed the lump in his throat. “I guess that maybe maybe we can keep going.” He said meekly. Wren nodded approvingly.
“You finally got over your cowardice.” She said, although Hannke wasn’t so sure.
They were about to continue their quest when the click of claws on stone sounded from ahead. Hannke froze and sucked in his breath. Wren paused beside him, staring off into the tunnel. Both the cobra and the egret dared not speak a word, but both knew what the other was thinking. Could it be?
Hannke was about to open his mouth and say it out loud when the click continued and he fell silent. Wren gestured with her wing, and the twosome slowly rounded a corner and stared into the cavernous space that lay ahead.
It was a large cave, the widest gap so far. The massive ceiling loomed, and the walls sloped roughly towards it. The intense heat and stuffiness from before worsened, and the pale light grew brighter. And on the farthest side, with its back to them, there it was. The creature.
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