Chapter Text
The sound of wind rushing by. Impact. Something snaps—a sick crunch. Stunned silence, all air slammed from their lungs—then harsh, gulping gasps, each breath bringing with it new waves of dizzying pain. A shout they hardly recognize as their own. Have they ever raised their voice like this before? They can’t remember, can’t focus, but they scream now, in pain and confusion and fear, until their throat feels raw and exhaustion overwhelms them.
Stillness. No sound but unsteady breathing and steady drips of water from somewhere above. Rain or groundwater from the surface? It’s seeped into the floor of the cavern, and the damp soil beneath them is cold. They lie very still, too tired to even lift their head.
Eventually the pain eases, or at least becomes something distant, something separate, and their breathing eases with it. It isn’t so bad, now.
They only have to wait.
But somebody comes.
Quiet, uncertain footsteps; a quiet, uncertain voice. Soft hands help them up, steady arms support them as pain reawakens, a blaze of fire in their lungs and down their side. The cavern spins, and they catch glimpses of bright, worried eyes; a kind, shy smile.
A monster.
It’s a long way home.