The Prophecy of Water | ✔️ 🎖 [2018 Wattys Shortlister]

CHAPTER 47-Green and Yellow

You can't trust your eyes. You must feel it.

And I feel we are close.

LoG, 72

Drian was panting as he, Damona and Malik slowly advanced along the treacherous uphill path. He stopped for a moment, bent slightly forward, with his left hand resting on his knee. Then Drian was upright again, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

This blasted rucksack is becoming heavier and heavier. Thank The Mind for The Dark Vision perk. At least I don't need to squint in the darkness or carry a torch.

Malik, who was leisurely flying above the duo, and Damona, in her antelope form, seemed to be able to see through The Dark easily as well. They were also gaining on him, just like during their trip across The Barrens.

Drian couldn't blame them. Having a pair of light wings and sturdy apt antelope legs always helped while climbing narrow winding footways.

"Where is Drian?" He heard Malik ask. If Malik couldn't see him, the two must have already turned around the corner. "Over here!" he shouted weakly to make his presence known but he wasn't certain whether Malik actually heard him.

Sure enough, the bird came to rest on his shoulder a moment later. Damona appeared as well, wearing a comic mixture of annoyance and comprehension on her animal face.

"Sorry. I just had to take a short break. I thought you said the cave was near."

"It is near, but as the crow flies," Malik cackled at his own attempt of a joke, which included the member of a bird species.

"Why don't you transform, at least partially? You would gain a lot of endurance, speed and dexterity." Damona gave him a piece of friendly advice. "I mean, now that we know you can do it and even adjust the percentage up to which you can Shape Change, don't you think it would be useful?"

"Cat defends," Drian pronounced each of the three syllables incredibly slowly, accentuating every one of them.

"So you will transform only when it's necessary to defend someone?" Damona began to understand his reluctance. "You have taken my grandmother's teachings quite literally, I see."

"I think that is for the best. I mean, it would be quite helpful to me right now, but it isn't really vital. My life is not in danger, and neither are your lives. I should be able to climb a mountain passage in a human form; don't you think so? It will do me good to exercise, too." 

Damona pondered it for a moment. Then she respectfully nodded in acknowledgement. 

Drian was surprised Damona actually understood his logic, and even more, that she was able to go along with it.

Malik seemed to be giving them a moment since he had advanced further than the two. Sure enough, they heard the charcoal-feathered mynah bird exclaim: "Haha! I knew it! I found the stone! Yikes!"

"That last he said sounded a lot like he got himself into some trouble." Damona reacted with suspicion, turning her head towards the source of the noise.

"Let us go and check!" Drian exclaimed, throwing the rucksack on the ground, running right behind the antelope girl.

I know this seems a bit ridiculous, but I will not be able to help him if I trip now and fall into the abyss. The giant cat night sight would come in handy, of course, but ... I don't know if it is absolutely necessary for me to change my form yet. I don't want to risk it.

As Drian finally managed to turn around the corner, his mouth dropped to the ground. The sight before him was at the same time hair-raising and ludicrous.