HOME | DD

Description
Chapter 2:

After his lungs finally gave out Seta began to move, as if in a trance, away from Desu, his village, his home. Minutes flowed together and for hours Seta wandered as a blizzard began to pick up. With one hand protecting his eyes and the other a few inches in front of it, he pushed onward, unable to see where he was going, or where he had been. He walked around aimlessly until eventually he bumped into a wall. Following it along, grateful for the minor reprieve it gave him when the wind shifted the right way, he finally came across a cavern that he had to duck to enter. As he tried warming himself with his arms the storm grew with greater intensity and, despite how numb his mind was to his situation, he subconsciously chose to try to wait it out. Snow clumped together, piling itself around the cave's entrance, and eventually it covered the entrance entirely.

The distraught teen sat for about an hour before finally reaching into his pack, still on his back from his earlier journey before learning of his uncle's demise. In the dark he rummaged around and pulled out a small block of cheese, eating it carefully in slow, small bites until even the most minuscule creature would be unable to scavenge scraps. When he was finished he felt parched, and when he tried to swallow some saliva he found out his throat was raw from his outcry. He reached again into his pack, this time removing a small ceramic bowl, a dry torch and some flint. After scooping some of the snow into the bowl and compacting it he lit the torch and held it under the bowl. When the snow melted he drank the fresh water and repeated the process until he no longer thirst, and then he held the torch aloft, looking at his circumstances. The cave appeared relatively small, with no apparent exit except the one he had entered through, which was hardening by the second.
Uncle can't be dead. Perhaps he's just resting in a coma, like Kei Quo was two years ago. When I get back he'll be awake and I'll show him the cure. He thought and tried to pull away the snow and ice away from the entrance to the cave. And then everything will be alright. I'm sure of it. Eventually his fingers met ice too thick to break, though he still tried until his fingernails began to split and one started bleeding. Exhausted he sat down facing it in defeat. My hands hurt too much for this to be a dream, but I still can't believe it. Suddenly he realized something. Uncle Tain died and I wasn't even there for him! The torch fell out of his hand and onto the cold stone. And I will die in here without anyone to mourn for me at my funeral. I probably won't even have one. I'll go down as just another mysterious disappearance. The torchlight flickered as he slumped against a wall.
“I could have saved him if only I was a day sooner, I'm sure of it.” he said aloud, looking up at the cavern's ceiling as if speaking to an unseen pantheon waiting for his defense. Almost as if in response, the flame went out. “I deserve to die. I killed him.”

Seta awoke to the rough edge of rock against his face, and he moved his head slightly to decrease his discomfort. A shrill of surprise sounded as the sensation vanished, and the youth quickly grabbed the creature before it could hide itself in the pitch darkness. The half-blind ape struggled, but Seta's grip held it fast, ensuring that it couldn't bite him to escape.
“How did you get in here?” He asked, almost expecting an answer. The diminutive munso kept making noises and squirming until finally Seta released it, quickly pulling his pack around his side. As Seta lit a fresh torch the ape made another trilling sound and as it walked away it made a gesture that seemed almost human, as if it beckoning him. “You want me to follow you?” Seta asked, surprised by the unusual behavior. Perhaps he was once a pet? Seta thought to himself when the munso interrupted with another trilling sound. As he focused he saw that the ape had walking over to a wall, which it was now beginning to hop up and down. When Seta approached he saw that there was a chute going upward out of his sight, just barely large enough for him to chimney climb. Looking down at the animal in excited gratitude he watched as it licked the pads on its fingers and stuck them to the wall. Like all munso, this runt was a natural rock climber with a sticky saliva that allowed its hands enough extra grip to climb almost any surface with relative ease. This particular one had already climbed ahead of him beyond where he could see before Seta had found a favorable position to begin his ascent. Holding the torch in his mouth the pale teen followed upwards after his newfound guide. About sixty feet up one foot slipped momentarily and a few small stones fell to the bottom. To his ears the echo was frighteningly small. He felt as if that is how little one would care if he had fallen instead. Shaking his head to clear out that thought he continues climbing again. After another ten minutes Seta finally arrived at the top, and started pulling himself into a larger cavern. The rock ape was about a foot in front of him, and suddenly it turned its head towards him and made its sharp exclamation. As it did, Seta dropped the torch and it fell down the chute. Now he was in darkness again, and he had not thought to pack another torch when he had left for the towers earlier that day. Frustrated at his two mistakes, he slowly followed after the sound of his companion on his hands and knees. Shortly, though, one of his hands was gashed on something sharp and he swore as he gritted his teeth through the mild burst of pain. When it subsided he tore off a small section of his shirt to stop the bleeding and wrapped it against the tender wound. When he knotted the dressing he felt a drop of water fall on his lips. Licking it off he tasted it and spit out the dusty bitter liquid. Where it fell, the ground shimmered red. What? He thought as he saw the odd and warm light begin to fade. Suddenly the munso screeched out, smashing something against the ceiling and as its contents fell the cavern lit up with light in almost every color. Upon seeing the near magical crystals Seta spoke their name in almost reverence ”Juma...”

All around him were crystals of all colors, all giving off light. Juma, the crystals that all of Delni depended on were growing in this large cavern. Many who didn't understand their composition treated them as if they were magic, but even Seta, from a village of logic and reason, was still amazed at how large a lode lay before his eyes. There were also dea, plants that grew in the harshest conditions with boiling water contained in their bulbous tops. The rock ape had broken one to light the crystals, as well as taking five others from the roots that he was now handing to the awestruck teen. Seta graciously accepted them, drinking the largest one entirely, quenching the thirst he just realized he had been having. After licking the last droplets from his lips he put the other four dea into his pack and began breaking off juma to take with him. When he had gathered as much as would comfortably fit in his sack he once again followed the munso, as it lead him to a steep slope. Holding one crystal aloft, he looked down to see where it led, but he leaned too far and began to fall. As he hit the rock he rolled until finally it curved up again, and then he dropped sharply. After a fifteen foot descent he landed on a soft pile of snow. As he groaned, the munso jumped up and down next to him and made a noise that sounded like it was amused, as if it had been given sight for a mere moment- just long enough to see the clumsy villager fall awkwardly. Mumbling about turning the cheeky ape into a hat, Seta coughed up blood and when he arose his right arm broke something. A sudden flame ignited and his guide screeched and ran around in tight circles. Next to Seta was a burning soka bush. Whenever a section of the bramble broke, the powdery, chemical-covered outer husk burned instantly as a self-defense mechanism, and also to help it propagate. Inching away carefully, Seta barely avoided being set on fire himself, and now that he looked around, he saw that there was an entire hillside of them before him, lightly covered with treacherous snow.

How am I supposed to get through that!? It's like a deathtrap waiting to be sprung! Seta thought, staring at the bushes before him. The munso began to prance about as if it were dancing, and again made the trilling call that seemed to indicate it wanted him to follow. When the youth finally moved closer, acknowledging its presence once again, the munso slowly moved into the center of the patch, cautiously avoiding the branches. Seta stared for a moment, then followed after it with care. Despite knowing that the ape couldn't possibly have memorized a route through the maze, and that even if it had, that the patch would have grown within days, he still realized what the ape seemed to be passing along to him. If only the weary youth was patient enough, and watched his movements, he might avoid causing the bushes to light. Hesitantly he made each step, ducking under limps and stretching over roots. After half an hour he was a mere seventy yards from the end of the field. His pace quickened as he thought he was almost out. Moments later, though, the munso turned and screeched at him. Seta held still, looking around to see if he was in danger of brushing a thing branch. Seeing nothing, and certain he was safe, he stepped forward. And beneath his heal there was a snap. Cursing, he looked down and saw the flames beginning to spread away from the branch he had stepped on. Looking forward towards his guide again he saw it screeching and running off in panic. Swearing again, Seta burst into a sprint, gasping as he tried to ignore the pain from the thorns cutting him, and the growing heat of the fire increasing behind him. Just when it seemed like he would die, burned beyond recognition, the teen saw the end of the field ahead. Diving through the last of the soka, he rolled forward on the cold snow, tumbling down the hill's slope an easy fifty feet before stopping. Shivering, he looked back at the field as the smoke drifting off his clothing began to vanish.
There's not even a slight possibility the search crew could have missed that.” He thought in amazement as the column of smoke rose over a couple hundred feet in the air. Then, he did something he hadn't done since the dedication-He laughed. The munso looked at him curiously and barred its teeth in pleasure. “I ran away from home and got trapped in a cave. Then a near blind rock ape led me out, to juma and dea, and finally this. Uncle Tain would have liked to hear this unlikely tale.” Seta said aloud, and even though he knew his uncle was gone, the smile remained on his face as he laid down on the snow. As the wind began to pick up again he closed his eyes and fell quickly to sleep.

Description
Chapter 2:

After his lungs finally gave out Seta began to move, as if in a trance, away from Desu, his village, his home. Minutes flowed together and for hours Seta wandered as a blizzard began to pick up. With one hand protecting his eyes and the other a few inches in front of it, he pushed onward, unable to see where he was going, or where he had been. He walked around aimlessly until eventually he bumped into a wall. Following it along, grateful for the minor reprieve it gave him when the wind shifted the right way, he finally came across a cavern that he had to duck to enter. As he tried warming himself with his arms the storm grew with greater intensity and, despite how numb his mind was to his situation, he subconsciously chose to try to wait it out. Snow clumped together, piling itself around the cave's entrance, and eventually it covered the entrance entirely.

The distraught teen sat for about an hour before finally reaching into his pack, still on his back from his earlier journey before learning of his uncle's demise. In the dark he rummaged around and pulled out a small block of cheese, eating it carefully in slow, small bites until even the most minuscule creature would be unable to scavenge scraps. When he was finished he felt parched, and when he tried to swallow some saliva he found out his throat was raw from his outcry. He reached again into his pack, this time removing a small ceramic bowl, a dry torch and some flint. After scooping some of the snow into the bowl and compacting it he lit the torch and held it under the bowl. When the snow melted he drank the fresh water and repeated the process until he no longer thirst, and then he held the torch aloft, looking at his circumstances. The cave appeared relatively small, with no apparent exit except the one he had entered through, which was hardening by the second.
Uncle can't be dead. Perhaps he's just resting in a coma, like Kei Quo was two years ago. When I get back he'll be awake and I'll show him the cure. He thought and tried to pull away the snow and ice away from the entrance to the cave. And then everything will be alright. I'm sure of it. Eventually his fingers met ice too thick to break, though he still tried until his fingernails began to split and one started bleeding. Exhausted he sat down facing it in defeat. My hands hurt too much for this to be a dream, but I still can't believe it. Suddenly he realized something. Uncle Tain died and I wasn't even there for him! The torch fell out of his hand and onto the cold stone. And I will die in here without anyone to mourn for me at my funeral. I probably won't even have one. I'll go down as just another mysterious disappearance. The torchlight flickered as he slumped against a wall.
“I could have saved him if only I was a day sooner, I'm sure of it.” he said aloud, looking up at the cavern's ceiling as if speaking to an unseen pantheon waiting for his defense. Almost as if in response, the flame went out. “I deserve to die. I killed him.”

Seta awoke to the rough edge of rock against his face, and he moved his head slightly to decrease his discomfort. A shrill of surprise sounded as the sensation vanished, and the youth quickly grabbed the creature before it could hide itself in the pitch darkness. The half-blind ape struggled, but Seta's grip held it fast, ensuring that it couldn't bite him to escape.
“How did you get in here?” He asked, almost expecting an answer. The diminutive munso kept making noises and squirming until finally Seta released it, quickly pulling his pack around his side. As Seta lit a fresh torch the ape made another trilling sound and as it walked away it made a gesture that seemed almost human, as if it beckoning him. “You want me to follow you?” Seta asked, surprised by the unusual behavior. Perhaps he was once a pet? Seta thought to himself when the munso interrupted with another trilling sound. As he focused he saw that the ape had walking over to a wall, which it was now beginning to hop up and down. When Seta approached he saw that there was a chute going upward out of his sight, just barely large enough for him to chimney climb. Looking down at the animal in excited gratitude he watched as it licked the pads on its fingers and stuck them to the wall. Like all munso, this runt was a natural rock climber with a sticky saliva that allowed its hands enough extra grip to climb almost any surface with relative ease. This particular one had already climbed ahead of him beyond where he could see before Seta had found a favorable position to begin his ascent. Holding the torch in his mouth the pale teen followed upwards after his newfound guide. About sixty feet up one foot slipped momentarily and a few small stones fell to the bottom. To his ears the echo was frighteningly small. He felt as if that is how little one would care if he had fallen instead. Shaking his head to clear out that thought he continues climbing again. After another ten minutes Seta finally arrived at the top, and started pulling himself into a larger cavern. The rock ape was about a foot in front of him, and suddenly it turned its head towards him and made its sharp exclamation. As it did, Seta dropped the torch and it fell down the chute. Now he was in darkness again, and he had not thought to pack another torch when he had left for the towers earlier that day. Frustrated at his two mistakes, he slowly followed after the sound of his companion on his hands and knees. Shortly, though, one of his hands was gashed on something sharp and he swore as he gritted his teeth through the mild burst of pain. When it subsided he tore off a small section of his shirt to stop the bleeding and wrapped it against the tender wound. When he knotted the dressing he felt a drop of water fall on his lips. Licking it off he tasted it and spit out the dusty bitter liquid. Where it fell, the ground shimmered red. What? He thought as he saw the odd and warm light begin to fade. Suddenly the munso screeched out, smashing something against the ceiling and as its contents fell the cavern lit up with light in almost every color. Upon seeing the near magical crystals Seta spoke their name in almost reverence ”Juma...”

All around him were crystals of all colors, all giving off light. Juma, the crystals that all of Delni depended on were growing in this large cavern. Many who didn't understand their composition treated them as if they were magic, but even Seta, from a village of logic and reason, was still amazed at how large a lode lay before his eyes. There were also dea, plants that grew in the harshest conditions with boiling water contained in their bulbous tops. The rock ape had broken one to light the crystals, as well as taking five others from the roots that he was now handing to the awestruck teen. Seta graciously accepted them, drinking the largest one entirely, quenching the thirst he just realized he had been having. After licking the last droplets from his lips he put the other four dea into his pack and began breaking off juma to take with him. When he had gathered as much as would comfortably fit in his sack he once again followed the munso, as it lead him to a steep slope. Holding one crystal aloft, he looked down to see where it led, but he leaned too far and began to fall. As he hit the rock he rolled until finally it curved up again, and then he dropped sharply. After a fifteen foot descent he landed on a soft pile of snow. As he groaned, the munso jumped up and down next to him and made a noise that sounded like it was amused, as if it had been given sight for a mere moment- just long enough to see the clumsy villager fall awkwardly. Mumbling about turning the cheeky ape into a hat, Seta coughed up blood and when he arose his right arm broke something. A sudden flame ignited and his guide screeched and ran around in tight circles. Next to Seta was a burning soka bush. Whenever a section of the bramble broke, the powdery, chemical-covered outer husk burned instantly as a self-defense mechanism, and also to help it propagate. Inching away carefully, Seta barely avoided being set on fire himself, and now that he looked around, he saw that there was an entire hillside of them before him, lightly covered with treacherous snow.

How am I supposed to get through that!? It's like a deathtrap waiting to be sprung! Seta thought, staring at the bushes before him. The munso began to prance about as if it were dancing, and again made the trilling call that seemed to indicate it wanted him to follow. When the youth finally moved closer, acknowledging its presence once again, the munso slowly moved into the center of the patch, cautiously avoiding the branches. Seta stared for a moment, then followed after it with care. Despite knowing that the ape couldn't possibly have memorized a route through the maze, and that even if it had, that the patch would have grown within days, he still realized what the ape seemed to be passing along to him. If only the weary youth was patient enough, and watched his movements, he might avoid causing the bushes to light. Hesitantly he made each step, ducking under limps and stretching over roots. After half an hour he was a mere seventy yards from the end of the field. His pace quickened as he thought he was almost out. Moments later, though, the munso turned and screeched at him. Seta held still, looking around to see if he was in danger of brushing a thing branch. Seeing nothing, and certain he was safe, he stepped forward. And beneath his heal there was a snap. Cursing, he looked down and saw the flames beginning to spread away from the branch he had stepped on. Looking forward towards his guide again he saw it screeching and running off in panic. Swearing again, Seta burst into a sprint, gasping as he tried to ignore the pain from the thorns cutting him, and the growing heat of the fire increasing behind him. Just when it seemed like he would die, burned beyond recognition, the teen saw the end of the field ahead. Diving through the last of the soka, he rolled forward on the cold snow, tumbling down the hill's slope an easy fifty feet before stopping. Shivering, he looked back at the field as the smoke drifting off his clothing began to vanish.
There's not even a slight possibility the search crew could have missed that.” He thought in amazement as the column of smoke rose over a couple hundred feet in the air. Then, he did something he hadn't done since the dedication-He laughed. The munso looked at him curiously and barred its teeth in pleasure. “I ran away from home and got trapped in a cave. Then a near blind rock ape led me out, to juma and dea, and finally this. Uncle Tain would have liked to hear this unlikely tale.” Seta said aloud, and even though he knew his uncle was gone, the smile remained on his face as he laid down on the snow. As the wind began to pick up again he closed his eyes and fell quickly to sleep.