Creatures Of Sonaria: Sands Of Time

Part 9: Gher

       "Let me down, let me down! I don't want to die!" Gher had to listen to this on the way to Tio's cave. It was toleratable through the volcanic eruption, but now that it was over, all he could hear were the cries of a baby kehmador.  And he wanted to maul it dead. 

       The cold of the Uncharted lands was warmer after the eruption. But that doesn't mean the wind wasn't trying to throw him off his flight path. Gher was determined though. Determined to release hell upon Sonaria for accepting a pero ghibli as the oasis's new great leader. They'd all see they were wrong. It should have been him. Gher, the ruler of oasis! Every creature bowing down to him. All the vin'rous wanting to have the offspring of a ruler. 

       And soon, that was going to happen. Maybe...

       "If a certain kehmador would shut up already!" Gher shouted out loud, startling the baby into keeping quiet. Now there was the peaceful silence of the winter wind. ahead, Gher could see the cave entrance, but no sign of Tio's glowing glimmer patterns. Probably still hiding in the cave. He scoffed.

       He looked down at the snowy banks and hills. Something caught his eye. A dark-shaped figure standing there and looking up at him. But that sight only lasted a second before the figure vanished behind some snow. Gher brushed the worry away and dove down to the cave entrance. 

       Gher dropped the kehmador and landed behind it before it could run off elsewhere. He prodded the baby in the back with his wing. "Forward or die," he hissed. The baby kehmador nodded and proceeded slowly inside. Halfway in, Tio was there, waiting for them. As so was the hemokai. 

       Tio nodded as a welcome. "I didn't expect you to find a kehmador that fast," he said. "They're usually being hunted to extinction because of their stink." 

       "Well, I got one, so now onto a hikorshi," Gher said, turning, but Tio stopped him before he could take another step.

         "Wait, you can't go out yet. I don't think it's safe," Tio said. Gher saw his eyes dart to look behind him. 

       Gher hissed and flicked his antenna like strands on his head. "The eruption is over, lissie-brain. There's literally nothing but the aftermath." 

       Tio looked down at his glowing claws. The hemokai stepped forward to comfort him, which was sick to watch. Gher nearly made a massive gash down the middle of her head. The baby kehmador joined in.

       The hemokai looked up at Gher with ruby red eyes. "Tio thinks his mate has come back, but she isn't the same. He said something about her being... corrupted."

       "So? What's that have to do with a stupid mate coming back?" Gher said, rolling his eyes.

       "Because if she's corrupted, she might not remember me as who I was before, but as another victim to kill," Tio said. He stood up and turned to walk deeper into the cave. "Come, I'll show you." Tio waved his tail, and both the Hemokai and kehmador walked with him. Gher hesitated to just leave him and find the last creature, but he just went.

       The four different species walked down the dark cave, following the golden yellow lights of Tio's patterns. The cave seemed to be a lot more worn down from the eruption. The walls seemed to have broken down, and stones had fallen down to the cave floor. 

       Luckily, when they reached Tio's cave, none of the cave holes he made were ruined, nor were his research stone tablets. Tio walked up to one of the stone holes and pulled out a tablet wrapped in fern leaf. He set it on the ground next to the herb pile.