Indigo's Owl [Indigo Rewrite]

Chapter 8 - Monster

Shift almost jumped out of his skin as Athira stepped out of the shadows at the back of the overhang.

The crow — Talon — cawed in amusement. I think you spooked the hatchling, Thira.

"Where the hues did you come from?" said Shift, peering into the darkness. There was a small crack in the wall, but it was barely wide enough to fit his arm in, let alone for a person to squeeze through.

"There's tunnels beneath the surface," said Athira. Her cowl was down around her shoulders, her hair a wind-blown mess in its short ponytail. "Space is weird in the Below. The stone is alive. Don't think too hard about it. It doesn't make sense."

Shift was still trying to process that statement as Athira walked over to Talon.

"I missed you, Tal," she said quietly, pressing her forehead against Talon's as the bird lowered its head into her hands.

'Course you did, replied Talon. You're a loner without me — though when I suggested you make a friend, I didn't think you'd bring them into your mindscape.

Athira stepped away, running her hands over her face. "His Green copied the Black and I accidentally dragged him in. I tried removing his anchor but the damned thing refused to come out."

Ah. So, the only way out is with you?

"Assuming that even works. Otherwise, you're stuck with him."

Shift stuck his hand in the air. "Can I be included in this conversation?"

With a quiet sigh, Athira's gaze slid to Shift.

For a moment, Shift saw the exhaustion in her eyes. He saw the cracks and the dread that had wormed its way between them, the uncertainty it caused. Mindscapes were a reflection of an individual's state of mind, and the one he'd seen above was barely holding together. It was barren. Hopeless. Scarred.

He couldn't begin to imagine what had pushed it to that point.

Athira looked away, pulling her cowl up over her head. "It's not your concern, Shift. Go have a nap in the corner or something."

"There's a giant monster rampaging around your mindscape and you want me to take a nap?" said Shift. When she turned her back on him, an exasperated laugh got away from him. "Just tell me what's going on! You can't —"

Athira whirled around, her clenched fists slamming down beside her legs.

"I don't have to tell you anything," she snapped. "This is my mindscape. Mine. You don't get to demand answers. You get to sit there, shut up, and do what I tell you, because that's the only way you might make it out of here alive."

Shift took a step forward. "If I know more, I can help —"

"Help?" she said. "What, like you did at Starpoint, or just now when we escaped Rathe?"

"How about the training room?" said Shift flatly. "Or when I spent the night making sure you didn't blow up the tower?"

Athira snorted. "Zoe stopped me in the training room, and you idiots should have just left me at Starpoint and ran."

I wouldn't be here with you now if they'd left you, said Talon, earning him a glare from Athira. The elemental had your amulet. Those books you like reading so much might call that 'destiny'.

Athira grimaced, her eyes on the floor.

"Look," Shift said gently, lowering his palms towards the ground as she shot him a suspicious glance. "You're right. I can't demand anything. This is your mindscape, and whether accidental or not, I'm an intruder." He hesitated, trying to find the words. "I'm just trying to understand. I have no idea if we're trapped in here, or why Rathe is a giant angry thing running around your mindscape, or even if my physical body is still at base or if I just poofed out of existence in front of Zoe. It's, um, a lot to process."