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Tulip has been stuck to Cal like a magnet ever since he had gotten sick. When he got better though it didn't change. It was rare that Tulip wouldn't be around Cal thought Tulip paid no mind to it. Tulip likes to be around their loved ones.
So when Cal actually got better, Cal wanted to go explore, Tulip not far behind. She didn't want Cal to go alone, still afraid that he would get hurt again.
It didn't take much convincing either from Tulip because why would Cal say no?
Walking out of the Palace Cal breathed in the fresh air after what felt like ages even though he snuck out sometimes, not in Tulips knowing anyway.
Cal went on taking the long stairs down, straight towards the waystone , the Hatchling would've preferred taking their way down, hopping over the fence, clawing her way down the wall but Cal just got better, no need for another injury, so she guessed it was fine. They both warped to Spawn and Cal picked a random direction and started walking, Tulip hopping right behind him, her tail swinging eagerly. It has been a while since Tulip went out exploring too!
They walked over the lily pads towards the jungle. While Cal was just enjoying his wander session, tail slowly swinging left and right, Tulip was jumping around, twirling and picking up loads of random stuff and funny shaped stones to show Cal the next second. The lizard giggling at the actions of the Hatchling.
"Cal do you even know where we are going?" Tulip asks out of pure curiosity, not really expecting an actual answer.
" Just going in a direction that feels right" he answered mindlessly, taking in another big breath.
That perks the kids curiosity even more because they actually received an answer "Ooooh! Why does it feel right?"
"Don't know. I just have a gut feeling if I had to describe it I guess?" he says while flicking away a hair strand out of his face.
Jumping around Cal they ask again "So what does this gut feeling say?"
Before answering Tulip trips but before falling down a ravine Cal catches her by the collar. "That you were about to fall down a ravine. Be careful Tulip."
"You are boring, that's what you are" they huffed embarrassingly.
The Jungle was filled with Bamboo reaching oh so very high you could barely see the top. Tulip adored the nature, it was really beautiful, it was hard to believe that something like that just appeared out of nowhere one day and can get destroyed so very easily by the Hand of a Human again.
Thought the Jungle came into a close and a dark forest came to be. It has been ages since Tulip was in one but that didn't stop them admiring every single thing about it. The grass seeming greener than any grass, the flowers shining brighter than in any other biome, the mushrooms growing so big you could build a house on it..
The scent is just something Tulip missed, the whole forest seemed so much prettier than anything else in their mind. That made them wonder why they hadn't visited a dark forest in a while but they knew why.
Tulip started to slow down to Cal's speed, enjoying the tweets from the birds and the buzzing from the bees.
Something was off though. The trees further away warped weirdly, Poppies starting to look more blue than red. Shacking their head it went back to normal, must've been nothing.
Thought as much as Tulip wanted to the feeling didn't change, it almost felt familiar. The Wyvern started to slow down even more, tail swinging anxiously.
After a while Cal looked back and saw Tulip almost standing, so he walked back until he was next to Tulip all along.
"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, "We can go another way if you want, or completely leave this place if you want.", he offered.
"No, no. It's okay. This is supposed to be your day. I just can't shake the feeling off that I know this place.."
They both walked further and further in a slow pace, a real slow pace. Nearing the edge of a cliff they both walked up to it wanting to sit down to stare down, to admire the view, but that fantasy was crushed the second Tulip looked down.
How had Tulip forgotten the place, no how didn't they forget the place.
That's their place. Their shack. The place she had spent about two if not three months of her life. The place where her parents had left them to die, no, where her parents HAD died.
The Shack still standing on top of the Mushroom, the chests scattered around the place, the now dead crops she had planted.
Not thinking, they climbed down. Cal yelling Tulip's name after her. Seeing it didn't do anything he climbed down as well.
"What are you doing Tulip?!" Cal asked franticly
The kid was not answering, brushing the sides of the ladders, memories coming up, biting down the tears gathering in her eyes.
Turning around, walking right passed Cal who was still asking questions, ignoring him completely. She walks towards the Cave entrance that has been covered in vines, remembering the time she had run away from a skeleton that had shot her. She doesn't know why but she went inside. The Stalactites being still gone from the time her Pa had mined them.
Cal had given up with the questions but went after Tulip.
The little waterfall was still there. They both jumped down, swimming further and further into the cave.
Tulip isn't doing this by will anymore, their body is just controlling them and their brain not being able to tell their body to stop.
They both walked further into the cave, further and further. This began to feel wrong, she knows where they are going and she doesn't want to go any further but it just doesn't work.
*Stop walking. Stop walking. Stop walking. Stop walking, Stop walkingStopWalkingStopWalkingSTOPWALKI-*
And she stopped walking.
They both stand in front of the entrance, that awful entrance. The deep dark blue greenish moss spreading all around the walls. The little specks of glowing in them making it look prettier than it should. This is horrible, everything here is horrible.
Cal starts walking inside.
"CAL STOP" they yell, their voice finally working again
The Lizard doesn't listen. He keeps walking, further and further.
Tulip can see themself in the position of Cal walking inside.
Cal starts running inside, Tulip not far behind.
Suddenly she hears one loud screech, everything goes silent. Their heart pounding so loud it feels like it deafens her.
Cal doesn't stop as if he hadn't heard that awful noise.
The Second screech starts echoing through the tunnel like cave.
Tulip starts walking again, slowly trying not to make any noise, staying quite as possible. Taking their Tail in her own hands, afraid it would brush the floor or even worse a sensor.
Cal suddenly stops, turns around, his face tells Tulip everything she needed to know. He didn't know either why he was running inside. As he walks towards Tulip his tail brushes a sensor.
Third Screech.
Tulips heart drops, eyes widening and she stays frozen in place. Everything goes black for a few seconds. The floor cracks open with a loud sound and the horrifying creature crawls out of its pit.
She wasn't sure if the heart pounding was hers or the one from the Warden.
Tulip wanted to back away, run out of the tunnel but couldn't, seemingly having sunken into the floor. The sculk having wrapped around her legs, holding her in place.
Cal seeing Tulip wanted to sprint over to her but it was too late. The Warden already having caught his scent and heard him ran fast behind.
It started to grab onto Cal, dragging him back by his tail. He screamed out in pain as It starts to drag him further and further away.
Tulip wanted to go after, trying to scream for him, voice not working and being more and more stuck in the sculk. She reached her arm out trying uselessly to grab onto Cal even though he was multiple meters away.
The Warden then threw Cal against a wall, you could hear the cracking of bones, and the wound on his side opened again as if it never healed in the first place. He started bleeding out, panting and crying, screaming out in pain.
Tulip was now fighting the sculk that had grabbed onto them, when it suddenly let go of one of their legs, making them fall on the floor completely. Now being stuck on the floor like a fly would in a fly trap.
The Warden coming back from the dark grabbing onto Cal, ripping the tail from his body. Screams echo through the Cave. Tears gathering in Tulips eyes as she tries to scream for him.
It doesn't stop there, the Warden seemingly not having enough, seemingly enjoying the situation. Grabbing Cal by his leg it throws the Lizard directly in front of Tulip, his head hitting the ground hard and his eyes rolling backwards.
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..
...
...
..
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"NOO" Tulip screams out while shooting straight up right besides her little egg, Blossom.
Tears streaming down she looks around franticly not knowing where she was for a few seconds before realizing she was in the middle of her hoard.
It was just a Nightmare. Just a stupid Nightmare.
The breathing becoming slower and slower but the tears not stopping. The Image of Cal's dead eyes burned into her head.
She had seen her Pa die and respawn, that's how it works but it was different than that time. Those eyes were dead, dead. Those eyes looked like what Tulip imagined King's eyes must've looked like.
Tulip went over to grab the giant dragon plush Cal had gifted her, wrapping it around herself grabbing onto it as if it would get ripped away from her any second. Taking a deep breath as it still had Cal's scent on it, taking it all in.
They kept repeating to themself "He is not dead". Over and Over again. Whispering it out loud to remind themself that he really isn't dead.
They couldn't shake off the feeling that he really wasn't dead.
Grabbing the Plush she walked over to the waystone and teleported to the Palace. It was dark and cold outside but that didn't bother Tulip in the moment. She just had to make sure he was still in the Palace lying there.
Slowly walking inside, hoping and praying that he would just lay there asleep.
Creeping over to his little corner slowly she saw a tail moving as Cal turned around in his sleep. Tulip let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Slowly but surely she started to sit down on her little hay carpet she had laid out, sitting down, watching Cal sleep, looking closely at his chest to really see if it was rising.
After what felt like hours Tulip slowly fell back asleep, clinging onto the plush with all the strength she had left.
The Nightmare not returning for the rest of the night but there was no dream either. Just Void.
Tulip could only dream of getting a dream once in her life. An Impossible Goal.
Sometimes Tulip doesn't even know if they are dreaming or if its reality.