The Ancient Homeland

6

You sat up straight, awakening to the feeling of discomfort and darkness enveloping you. It was pitch black, your eyes having a terrible time adjusting as you sat up and scanned the area around you. You saw Boogie, seeing that he was as silent as a mouse, curled up on the pillow, and to your relief breathing deeply.
You stood up deciding to move around and to try and feel your way around the compact room for the door. You hadn't even touched it when an insignificant 'whoosh' resounded throughout the deafening silence. An abundance of gloom awaited you, and for some reason the sensation of suffering encircling you like a cobra, the grasp never to loosen.
Your heart began beating a million miles a minute as you inched your way out and into the shadows, your senses heightened due to the fear coursing through your veins, pulsating as a heart would. You crawled along the wall, steps calculated and alert. You made it to the point where there was no longer a wall for you to lean against so you proceeded to flail your arms around wildly, any memory of the layout of the ship becoming a vague and distant recollection.
Confusion intertwined with anxiety as your mind raced to find a possible explanation as to why the starship was so murky and dim. As your feet shuffled across the metallic floor a fleeting thought entered your mind, The Mantis didn't feel like this. But it was gone as soon as it had entered because the sound of a lightsaber igniting stole your breath. You whipped around, ahead of you stood Cere, the unmistakable scarlet-red hue cast across her face like a bloodstain. She was in a fighting stance, a disturbing sneer across her once loving features.
"Auntie?" You asked, the sound of your voice startling you. It was the young and ignorant you, starting up at your 'aunt' in panic.
Before your eyes, the dimly lit room morphed into the planet Zeffo, but it wasn't the same, a distorted and unreal sentiment to it all. It didn't feel like home, it felt alien and foreign.
Your conscience snapped back to reality when the young you let out an ear-piercing scream as Cere had just swung at her, barely missing by the skin of her teeth as she dodged something she shouldn't need to experience. As you watched Cere with a grief-stricken look, her face began to transform before your eyes into a horror story, into something you would have read about when you were younger and to have run to your parents to be offered comfort. The intricate braid she usually had worn was now twisted into tentacle-like tendrils above her head, her face contorted into a million terrifying things. Her eyes deforming into a long-forgotten void of ebony, both on opposite sides of her face. Her crimson-colored lips and razor-sharp teeth lay upside down where her forehead should have been, her nose twisted and pointed, lay where an eye should have been. You wanted to shriek and sob at the same time, but you couldn't, your voice had died in your throat as Cere lunged at you, lightsaber in one hand and jagged black claws reaching out on the other hand. To your utter horror, the lightsaber had pierced you, and the claws had scratched your skin and clothes beyond recognition. Yet you didn't scream, did not move a muscle. The truly overwhelming stillness was all that remained. Right before you, Cere dissipated into a puff of black smoke that settled into the dark green grass. The lightsaber sheathing and falling to the ground with a soft thud.

You sat up with a jolt, hot tears streaming down your face as you made it back to reality.
You were on the starship, the only noise that filled the dim room was the machinery below you making soft hums and your ever so quiet sniffles and whimpers.
You curled in upon yourself, wishing to shut anything and everything out, to build walls around you that would never crumble. But Boogie's cute yawn filled the lull, earning a watery giggle from you. Boogie comprehended that you were crying so he rushed over in front of your face, making tiny gestures with his lovable little paws to try and cheer you up. It worked for the most part and you nearly forgot what you were even crying about in the first place as you picked up an all-too-pleased with himself Boogie.

You dried your tears quickly in the dark, hoping that it was still dark out as you soundlessly stood up and walked the short distance to the door. When it opened with the now familiar 'whoosh', dusk greeted you, but it felt more palpable, clearly not what you had just experienced.
As you walked you could see through the dim light the outline of a figure on the couch, but everything else empty. You wished not to disturb them so you swiftly crept over to the cockpit to see where you were at. Greez was no longer in the chair he usually was in, the only thing to greet you instead of a planet were billions upon billions of stars. It was completely breathtaking, and it made you feel at ease. You sat down in the seat to the right carefully, making sure not to press any buttons as you sat down. You gazed for what felt like hours at the shining orbs, solace washing over you like the tide. This is nice, you thought.
In the hush, you heard a quiet creak, causing you to hesitantly turn around in curiosity. In front of you, Cal stood, a sheepish grin on his lips as he looked upon you from the entrance.

"Bad dream?" Cal's soothing voice asked concernedly, evoking a ripple of goosebumps across your skin.
"Yeah, " you rasped out, turning back around to try and avoid ogling at the precious way Cal looked, the way his night time shirt hung loosely around his collarbones and his baggy trousers drooping slightly around his hips, the way his perfect ginger hair was tousled in all the right places. You wanted to groan at how endearing this whole moment was, but you had already been thinking for a second too long. "Why are you up?" You asked quietly, wondering if he was even still there as your eyes wandered back to the stars in the space beyond.
"I had a nightmare and came out to sit on the couch, somehow managing to fall asleep again... Then I woke up and you were walking over here, so naturally I followed." Cal murmured wearily, deciding to plop down in the chair beside you. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and you had to refrain from squealing at the sheer adorableness he was exuding right now.
"I'm sorry you had a nightmare, " you replied, hoping he knew that you cared about what happened to him. You merely placed your hand on his shoulder but it felt like it was barely there, your only wish to comfort the other as best you could. He then lifted his hand up and laid it over top of yours, leaning his head slightly down at the contact.

543 reads???? Thank you all so much!!! ❤️❤️ also sorry for not updating Thursday :( but you all are great and thank you so much! Have a good day/night!! ❤️❤️😭