Chimera

Chapter Eighteen: Lance

Exotic bird song came in lulls and bursts. Willowy martens with the sapphire wings of blue jays rustled through the leaves. A few trees blocked the road, stripped of their bark in long forgotten storms.

Lance leapt over them and ran ahead through the dark shadows, breaking through the undergrowth and into... the sunlight? All of a sudden, his feet were standing on lush grass. Lance looked up, eyes slowly widening and a smile slowly forming on his face as he took in the sight before him. He was in a huge glade, a perfect circle in the middle of the forest. In the middle of the glade was a cluster of modern, glassy buildings. Next to the buildings was something that made Lance scream and shout and crow and sing with joy. It was a lake. A beautiful, shining, real lake. Peaceful ripples spread across its surface. It was stunning, a silver-blue mirror of the cloudless summer sky above.

"Water!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, sprinting forward across the grass, "We found water!"

He knelt by the lake, reaching his hands into the water. It was cool and soft. He cupped it and brought it to his lips. It tasted clear and sweet and fresh, sliding down his throat like liquid summer, clearing the grit and soreness, relieving his thirst.

He drank again, his body reflected in its surface. The lake was incredibly clear and clean. He could see the bottom with ease, covered in glinting shells and silver stones. Camila, Jaylin and Alana knelt on the lakeside beside him, drinking eagerly.

"We did it," Lance said, smiling and crying at the same time, "we actually did it."

Goldenstroke gave a joyful chirp and jumped into the water. Droplets slid easily across his glossy feathers. He swished his talons back and forth beneath the surface to keep afloat.

Lance peered at his reflection in the water below. His face was darker and covered in grime and scratches. His clothing was drenched in sweat and mud and dried blood.

"I guess I need a bath too," Lance laughed, diving into the reinvigorating water. He felt it swirling through his hair and cleansing his skin. After the sweaty clothes and scorched skin and parched, burning throats, it was pure paradise.

Suddenly, Camila dove too. She plunged underwater, bubbles streaming from her body and swirling up to the surface. Lance smiled, then kicked upwards. He took a deep breath of the air and floated on his back. Alana and Jaylin slid into the water beside him.

They had done it. They had finally done it. After all the struggle, all the pain... they had made it. They had found enough freshwater to sustain Las Lagos. They had found a beautiful oasis.

"I can't believe we're here," Camila said.

"Neither can I," he said.

"I was beginning to doubt if we would ever make it... but, we did," Jaylin said. He looked at Lance, smiling.

The four of them floated lazily on the lake, beaming, overwhelmed with happiness and relief, as clouds drifted across the sky.

They sat around the lake, drying off in the sun. Goldenstroke grumbled a bit about the lack of towels, but a splash of water shut him up.

Eventually, the five of them stood up to explore the glade. It truly was an oasis. The air was pungent with the rich scent of wildflowers. Next to the glittering lake was a veritable jungle of trees, their branches weighed down with fruit ranging from plums and apples to apricots and peaches. Upon closer inspection, they found that the trees had been planted in somewhat straight lines.

"These must have been planted by someone years ago," Lance said. Now, they grew more wildly and their roots burst the ground outside their neat lines, but they still produced a huge crop.

Next to the orchard was a field full of vegetables. Lance saw what looked like onions, pumpkins, peas and even a patch of strawberries. Half of the plants had withered and died, becoming dried weeds or rotting mush, but the others had thrived.

Next to the vegetable field was a huge trellis. It was made of old wood that was damp and rotting. Blackberries and boysenberries grew all over the trellis, their fruits hanging in plentiful bunches. Lance could imagine the berries being planted neatly, but now they were overgrown, hungrily swallowing the trellis in its maw of thorns and brambles.

Lance walked by the trellis. The entire glade must have been a few dozen acres, allowing it to house a large lake, a group of buildings and seemingly still-producing fields. Eventually, the trellis ended with a group of roses. Their flowers were pure, beautiful white, with softly curling petals. Their fragrance was as beautiful as their flowers, filling the air with a floral perfume. But, like the berries, the roses had also become a wild tangle of thorns.

"It's amazing," Camila said, leaning towards the trellis to sniff a rose. She leaned back, eyes closed in enjoyment.

"What is?"

"That all of this survived. It would easily be enough to feed Las Lagos. And yet... no-one even knew it existed. If we hadn't come here..."

"It never would have been discovered," Lance said, nodding.

"So if no-one had ever searched... if no-one had ever been curious enough, it would never have been found," Camila says."

"Well, then I guess curiosity is human nature," Lance said, "maybe it's to question things, to imagine more. More than the harsh reality of the world. A faraway paradise, an oasis of beauty. I think everyone has their own oasis. Something we're looking for in life. And if you follow that curiosity... if you go beyond that wall... if you defeat those monsters in your way, trying to tear you down... you might just find it."

Hi, Sylver here. And our heroes have finally done it! They've finally found enough water to save the city!

If you've enjoyed reading this story, don't forget to vote, comment and add it to your reading lists. I will be adding a new chapter every day. If you have any tips for how I can improve my writing, or what I did well this time, please feel free to tell me (in a nice manner). Thanks so much for reading my story!