explicitClick to confirm you are 18+

Zherosha Chronicles: The Caves

NancieMay 5, 2018, 4:02:28 AM
thumb_up12thumb_downmore_vert

Amnika yawned again. She felt restless.

Nahaeda chuckled and cradled Amnika. “Not enough rikta energy for the little one."

He followed his wife, Enaenah, into the cave. It took a moment before Amnika's eyes adjusted. When she could see in the darker cave, she was awestruck by what she saw.

There were three floors with the path of the entrance in the center. Each level was held up by pillars carved directly out of the rock. Behind the pillars were the caverns that the Natisiens dug out. Each of them housed a family.

Squinting, Amnika realized that she couldn't see the end of the cave. It was too dark.

“Drink." Enaenah handed Amnika a wooden bowl. “This is from home.”

Taking a sip, Amnika recognized it as riochi nectar. The nectar was usually mixed into the riochi mash to make the bars.

Natisien workers were allowed to take some to the tribes. They would use the nectar for medicine and some rituals. Most of the time they would use the nectar from the smaller, wild variant of riochi flowers but the one from home contained traces of rikta energy.

Amnika's restlessness started to fade, and she began to feel sleepy again. She fell asleep in Nahaeda's arms.

Amnika woke up later to hear her father talking. She couldn't see him since Rhada was sleeping next to her. She sat up a little to look towards the entrance to the cave. There stood a caped figure, talking to Nahaeda. She could see small clouds of steam coming from the hood.

“She doesn't understand what's going on,” her father said.

“You knew this day was coming,” Nahaeda gruff voice startle Amnika. “The alignment of the planets show that it's time.”

“I know,” Zeth said, “I guess I didn't expect it so soon.”

They both noticed that Amnika was awake and stopped talking.

Amnika suddenly realized how cold it was. Without the indoor climate control she was used to, she began to shiver.

It woke Rhada up. He looked at Amnika for a moment. "Cold?"

Amnika was chattering too much to answer, so she just nodded.

“Oh, my little girl,” she heard a voice behind her.

Her mother was laying down in a makeshift bed that Enaenah made for her parents. Natisien beds were made on the ground with dried flower stalks and furs.

“Mother!” Amnika said through chattering teeth. Her father walked over and grabbed another fur blanket and put it over her. Her mother walks over and hugs her.

“You need to go back to sleep.”

“Can't I sleep in your bed?” Amnika spoke in Inersien dialect.

Glondikia looked at Zeth. He sighed. “You must speak in Natisien dialect. You need the practice,” He corrected her. “You could stay in our bed, but there's not a lot of room in our bed. Additionally, the bed you're in is a lot softer.”

“Mother puts in extra furs,” Rhada said, “And tuft seeds.”

Amnika looked at her parent's bed, then looked at hers. After a moment, she decided that her bed was indeed better and settled down next to Rhada. Rhada also laid down facing away from her.

Glondikia brushed the hair out of Amnika's face. Her father unhooked his cape and spread it over the blanket that covered their bed.

Nahaeda, who was almost always on watch, slept sitting up at the cave entrance. While in this position, Natisiens sleep lightly. If a wild animal were to wander in, it was his job to deal with it. If the scants swarm, he would yell to wake the others, and all the able-body adults would defend the caves.

Amnika heard her mother get into bed with her father. They started to cast thoughts to each other. Amnika couldn't understand any of it. It seems that they were using that other language again.

She didn't remember falling asleep.

 

Previous post: Naehus

Next Post: The Vision

 

----

If you like what you see, remind, share on social media, and upvote.

 

To keep up with Amnika's Childhood, be sure to subscribe.

 

Want to support my work? All wires get a shoutout OR become a sponsor and get your channel featured on my website. Click here for more info!

Zherosha Chronicles

 

Courtesy at Pixabay