Chapter 16
The Other Side
By late afternoon, Fyn and Stybs were exhausted. Luckily, the rain had stopped, and they were again moving in an easterly direction. But fear still gripped them; fear that the great serpent would return to finish them off. If not for that fear, though, they would have fallen to the ground a long time ago.
When the sun finally broke through the dark clouds above, Fyn and Stybs were just scrambling to the top of one of the countless rolling hills that composed the grasslands of Rolath. But once atop this gentle crest, they saw a sight that stopped them both. Spread out before them in the slight depression of a valley grazed a herd of curafs that stretched into the distance in all directions.
"Wow," Stybs said in awe.
Fyn nodded in agreement. They were both exhausted, but this was a sight neither of them had ever seen before, and they looked on in wonder.
But Fyn realized there was a problem. The herd was blocking the path they had to travel, and with no end in sight to the left or right, Fyn wasn't sure how they were going to get around it. Maybe we can just wait till they move out of our way.
"Let's make camp," Fyn decided. It was still a couple hours until nightfall, but after the hard trek they'd had that day along with the threat of the snake, he knew they could use the rest.
Stybs was too tired to disagree; fatigue had replaced any fear of the snake attacking again. Fyn honestly didn't think the great serpent would return now that it had been over six hours with no sign of it. He still wasn’t sure if he’d be getting any sleep tonight though. What if the snake does come back?
They made camp just down the hill, out of sight from the herd of large cattle. The grass was clumped nicely next to a formation of rocks giving them as much protection as they could hope for. They built a small fire and ate only a handful of berries they had found along the way, which Fyn hoped weren’t poisonous. He thought they looked similar to berries they’d had in the Burrow on occasion, but he couldn't be certain. They needed to eat something, though, to keep their strength up.
Since they’d lost all their food, reaching the ocean had become even more important. Fyn’s family-brother had always told him about the abundance of food the ocean had to offer; some of which seemed so weird to Fyn he’d had trouble even imagining it. But he didn't care how strange any of it was going to be, for his stomach was grumbling just thinking about it.
Soon not even his hunger or his fear of the snake could keep him awake, and though the sun was just dipping below the horizon and their fire still burned, Fyn and Stybs both fell into a deep and much needed sleep.
Fyn didn't know how long he slept, but when he woke, the world was still dark. Only the dying embers remained of the fire, adding an orange glow to the pale light of the moon far overhead in the cloud-filled sky. Fyn didn't know what had pulled him from sleep, but he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
He sat up cautiously scanning the area for any signs of danger, but the grass and boulders kept any visibility to only a few feet. Stybs was still sound asleep, snoring softly, as Fyn climbed to his feet and scrambled up the nearest rock to get a better vantage point. Now, he could at least see down the slope of the hill.
Only a slight breeze stirred the grass across the plains, and at first Fyn could see no other movement. But he knew there was something out there.
And then he saw it. A patch of grass moved against the wind. Fyn froze. The grass that moved was in a long trail that wound back and forth slowly. It took only a second for Fyn to see exactly what was coming for them. The serpent.
Fyn leapt from the boulder and ran to Stybs, shaking him awake as quickly as he could. Stybs opened his eyes drearily.
"What's go on? It's still dark," he muttered.
"The snake," fun whispered urgently. "We have to go now!"
The next instance Stybs was fully awake and stumbling to his feet. They had nothing to repack, but Fyn kicked dirt over the embers of the fire and patted it down to make sure everything was good and buried. The snake would know they had been there if it slithered across their camp, but at least now the warmth of the fire would not attract it's attention.
Fyn and Stybs made it to the top of the hill in only a few bounds, while trying to stay as silent as possible. As the made their way, Fyn hoped beyond hope that the herd would be gone by now because at this point, they had no choice. Either way, they’d have to get to the other side if they were going to escape the snake.
When they reached the top of the hill, Fyn's heart sank as he saw the herd still stretched out below them, now motionless and silent in the shadows of the night.
"How're we going to get past them?" Stybs asked anxiously.
"It'll be easier now that they’re asleep,” Fyn said, trying to sound confident. “We just have to be quiet and quick."
"What if they wake up?"
Fyn looked over at Stybs, who was staring right back at him. Fyn could just make out his brother’s eyes in the dim light and the fear inside them. "Stay close. We’ll get through this."
Fyn led them down the slope towards the herd up ahead. He kept glancing over his shoulder expecting to see the slithering form of the snake crest the hill and lock it's gleaming eyes on them. But for the moment the great serpent had not found their trail.
Soon the dark mass of the herd started to become individual forms of the sleeping herbivores, and Fyn realized just how big these creatures were. He felt Stybs tension beside him as they drew closer. One advantage Fyn saw, however, of his and Stybs’ diminutive size was they could almost run under these beasts without even having to bow their heads. It would be more dangerous, but this way they wouldn't have to maneuver around the forms and could just pass underneath them. We might actually get through this.
But then Fyn glanced over his shoulder and saw the sight he had been dreading. Between the tall grass swaying at the top of the hill, a tongue flicked out and tasted the night air, searching for its prey.
Fyn's breath stopped as the head came into view next with its demon-like fangs and the piercing yellow eyes sitting just above. Those eyes spotted Fyn. A moment passed in seemingly complete stillness as Fyn’s blood turned to ice. And then the snake shot forward. The grass gave way, flattening as if a great gust of wind had just blown in over the plains.
"Run!" Fyn yelled in panic, pushing Stybs forward.
Stybs tried to look back as well, but even without seeing the beast, he immediately dashed toward the waiting herd.
They had almost reached the sleeping animals when a single baying noise rose out from somewhere in the mass of creatures. A moment later another wailing call went out and then another. Within seconds the whole herd was awake and alert. And then they began to move. Like an avalanche on a mountaintop, the herd started slowly, but momentum accelerated them quickly.
Fyn and Stybs finally reached the herd, but they both hesitated on the edge of the dust and dirt the animals were kicking up. Do we dare enter a stampede?
Fyn glanced back to see if they had a choice, but the serpent answered that rather quickly. It was nearly upon them, lifting its vicious head above the grass ready to attack. Fyn immediately pulled Stybs into the moving legs of the curafs.
Luckily, the herd was not yet up to its full speed, which probably gave them just enough chance to survive. Fyn dodged this way and that as hooves fell from the sky and dust obscured his vision. He knew Stybs was beside him, but there was something else in the stampede. The serpent had not stopped.
The herd tried to jump away from the snake, terrified it would attack them, but the serpent seemed to only have eyes on Fyn and Stybs. Considering the circumstances, Fyn didn't think it mattered why the snake was so bent on them, but he had heard of creatures drawn to the power of Magick. And the two Naalyms could certainly use Magick. Though at the moment, Fyn didn’t think he could use it effectively enough to save their lives as they ran through the mass chaos of the stampede. We do have other tale
nts though.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fyn saw the snake lunge forward, its mouth open and fangs bared. Fyn instinctively grabbed Stybs. "Jump!"
Even with the chaos around them and ground vibrating with the movement of hundreds of curafs, the young Naalyms managed to get their feet under them and leap off the ground. The snakes mouth clamped shut under their feet as they flew into the air and landed awkwardly on the back of the nearest curaf.
The moving beast was anything but a stable platform to stand on forcing Fyn and Stybs to grab handfuls of fur and just hope they could hang on. Fyn saw that Stybs had his eyes shut tight, but Fyn looked back, wondering if the snake would make it out of the stampede alive. Either way they'd be carried much too far away for the snake to ever have a chance of catching up to them now. Fyn might have been hanging on for dear life, but he found a sense of relief sweep over him. And on top of that, Fyn managed to get his bearings and realized the herd was moving in an easterly direction. Maybe they'll just take us all the way to the ocean!
Finally, when the herd did stop several hours later the sun was just cresting the eastern horizon. Fyn still held tight and had stayed awake the entire time, but somehow Stybs had managed to actually get a few minutes of sleep.
Fyn didn’t hear any call or sign of any kind, but suddenly, the herd slowed and eventually stopped completely. When they did, the curaf they had gotten a ride from finally decided it was time for them to get off. The creature looked over its shoulder at Fyn and Stybs and then bucked slightly. The Naalyms got the message and hopped off the animal. A few of the other curafs glanced in their direction, but they must have long ago realized that Fyn and Stybs were not a threat.
Even though they hadn’t had to do the actual traveling, both Naalyms were tired and tripping over their own feet when they reached the top of a hill nearby. Fyn's first thought was to build a fire and settle in for the day. He wanted to keep them moving, but they had gone much farther on the back of the herd than they'd ever gone on foot. They could afford to take a break.
But atop the hill they looked out to the eastern horizon, and what they saw made them forget any tiredness completely. A few hills rolled away from them, but then abruptly the green of the grass stopped and a flat expanse of sparkling blue stretched out as far as either of them could see.
Stybs mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide in wonder. Fyn, meanwhile, felt tears fill his vision as he looked out at the seemingly endless water. And he thought of his family-brother. He thought of that first time he had left the Burrows. He thought if this ocean really existed there was no limit to what the world held. And if he could reach this ocean there was no place he couldn't go. The world is waiting.
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