15: Long gone

Two tentacled masses crawled in between the trees, their bodies formed low to the ground.

They were siblings, born eighty four years apart. Their similar age brought great kinship.

Unlike their parents before them, they were raised differently. They were given names and told stories of other cultures.

This was the first day either of them left the nest of their own accord. Until now, they simply hadn't needed to, but circumstances had changed.

The two of them only had a destination in mind; a great big tree in the centre of the forest.

So they pushed onwards, ignoring the silent onlookers they amassed on the way in their panicked pacing.

Eventually they reached a clearing, the great tree standing in the centre, its roots reaching out as if to embrace the pair.

They made their way towards their way to the tree, searching for a tiny fluffy figure in a nook or cranny as they circled around the base.

After a few minutes of desperate searching, the creature took pity on the pair, drifting down from the top of the tree using numerous layers of cloth tied around its hammer-like arm.

As he reached the ground, the two creatures began to desperately gurgle and croak, but they were met with the simple shaking of the head.

The fluffy creature landed next to them, pointing towards various directions with it's hammer-like hand, each one paired with a number of clicks.

Once he had finished reciting his instructions, the pair bolted off back into the trees, still raring to go despite the numerous hours they had spent travelling already.

First was the Flalup, a group of wolves with teeth so dry that rubbing them along bark would set them ablaze. Their alpha spoke for the group, his howling making his intent loud and clear.

Second was the Labamare. Their oversized paws were perfect for throwing and their nimble bodies let them leap through the trees like it was nothing. Their opinion on the pair's request was easy to understand from the throwing of nuts.

Third was the Spipa. Their feathers were adorned with spikes, which although leaving them flightless, also made them a deadly threat. Their reaction to the pair was to simply ignore them.

They quickly went down the list they had been given, finding no success. With each group that refused to listen, the pair found their pace slowing; both from exhaustion and loss in motivation.

Slowly, they crawled to the nest of their last prospect; the cave was allegedly the home of the mysterious Albioc. Making as little noise as possible, the pair made their way down into the natural opening, following the spiralling pattern deeper into the earth.

Eventually they made it to their destination. At the end of the cave was a figure silently rocking back and forth, curled up into a ball.

From the light that emanated from their flames, the pair could make out a feathered body, white as snow alongside a large red beak. The creature had four legs, although it wasn't entirely clear whether they were effectively four legs; two sprouted out from the back of the other two, leaving a small gap in between the hooves which touched the ground. As the pair approached, the creature opened its three beady eyes, keeping one on each as it slowly rose, still rocking on its hooves while it was standing.

*Why do you enter my domain?*

The voice entered the pair's mind as if they were thoughts of their own, but they remained unphased, Victor answering out loud in a series of calm croaks.

*Who is this person that you want me to save?*

For a moment the pair hesitated, before Mic answered bluntly. It wasn't good to lie.

*I see… interesting. It is possible… but what do I have to gain.*

Mic froze, unsure of what to answer, but Victor crawled forward and formed upwards, matching the height of the Albioc.

*Anything, you say. In that case, I will take one of you as my meal. I haven't eaten well in nearly two hundred years.*

Victor croaked once and moved forward, but he was outpaced by Mic, who slid in front of him and matched his form.

The pair began to croak at one another, squabbling directly in front of the person they were supposed to convince. The Albioc looked on with intrigue, its beak twisting cruelly as the argument between them heated up.

*Why do the two of you even consider sacrificing yourself for that… THING?*

The pair looked towards him with confusion, their conflict dissipating as if it had never happened. Their answer was confusion; they had never considered why they were doing what they were doing. The Albioc looked on at first with shock. Then he began to laugh, the mouth on his stomach opening and closing, gnashing its teeth violently as it enjoyed the foolishness of the situation.

*Be on your way. I no longer wish to eat; it would be far more interesting to watch the two of you struggle.*

Before the two could answer, the Albioc flapped its wings and the two were launched up the cave by a gust of wind, carrying them all the way up the cave, outpacing their forty-minute descent down into the cave two hundred-fold. They landed on the grass outside of the cave, both in shock and unsure of what to do next.

As they attempted to collect what just happened, Mic let out a short croak, the one positive note from their final failure.

At least this time it didn't hate humans.