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Bluebird [2016-10-20 02:38:31 +0000 UTC]

     Her steps echoed softly off of the cave walls around her, her long claws tapping softly across the dark stone. She had been exploring the cave for days now, wandering from the ranch on her own and delving deeper and deeper. She’d lived on water she’d licked from the walls, tearing into anything she could catch for sustenance. She knew better than to run off from home, but the longer she lingered in the darkness, the more something… seemed to call to her. She prowled in the pitch black, but never once lost her way, even without her sight. Something pulled her, guided her through the wild tunnels, deeper into the depths of the mountain. On the third day, she’d reached a large swath of cave that was littered with tiny mushrooms and fungus, glowing a faint blue. Through the light, somewhere in the shadows beyond the edge of her vision, something flickered.

    Soon, whatever was guiding her began whispering. It wasn’t words, not even something she could understand, but she still knew it, somewhere deep inside. It was speaking to her, and her whole body understood, as if every fiber of her being was vibrating with anticipation. She continued on the path, stopping to lick the walls and chase tiny lizards. Time seemed to crawl onward, until she was unable to tell whether it had been days, weeks, months, or even years since she saw the surface. The darkness that began at the edges of her vision was creeping closer to the center, and she could see little tongues of red flickering and dancing around in front of her. Something about her body language changed, her shoulders hunching, her head held lower, her lips curled upward.

    The shadows teased and danced at her feet, now, red swirling before her, leading her on and on through the winding tunnels. She could feel her muscles tensing beneath her dark fur, but nothing could fatigue her or distract her from her task. Deeper and deeper she wound, until darkness fell again. Even the mushrooms could not bear it so deep. She felt her paws moisten, the humidity of the tunnels rising as she ventured downward, but the path suddenly took a sharp upward curve. Something in the back of her mind, something she hadn’t noticed until now, urged her on, but the first step she took upward made the red light burst in front of her eyes, making her freeze. Something whispered to her, making her ears flicker, but the little feeling, which had now moved into her chest, tickled and encouraged her onward. She took another step, and then another.

    The red flashes and whispering battled with the light, dancing feeling in her chest, but something kept her moving forward. Up and up she climbed, crawling over boulders and scrabbling up ledges, until a bright light shone ahead. She emerged from the darkness and as she stepped toward the mouth of the cave, a blinding light filled the entrance, shimmering and dancing invitingly. It battled in her vision with the red, the two colors twisting and writhing together, each struggling for supremacy. The whispering was growing fainter, weaker now, and the light was filling her with a strange sort of warmth. The promise it offered was different from the darkness. Where there was once a promise of power and dominion, there was now the offer of hope, happiness and warmth. She gazed unblinking at the light as it shone before her, the whispering fading back into the darkness of the cavern behind her.

WC 592 

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