ReBirth Of The Primordial

Nestled within the cocoon, Eden solidified their resolve. Eden didn't know how much help they could be. However, the reflections of the bursts on either would have amazing benefits not only for them today, but long-term. It was just the three of them, and they'd need every advantage they could get.

Eden strengthened the tethers, carefully weaving the roots together and into the surrounding root system of the forest, anchoring Eden and Sorcha firmly in place. Ok, it was now or never. The little gemstone cautiously opened the cocoon and exposed the two to the Cloudburst. Eden and Sorcha were each lifted, but the harnesses that held kept them secure could withstand the rapidly rising winds.

Bit by the bit, the harnesses and tethers broke. Eden did everything they could to keep up with the damage being done, but it was too much to handle between the increasingly violent winds and their dwindling power. All that they could do was strengthen the vines holding Eden and Sorcha. Eden knew they could not sustain the both of them for long, but they didn't need to.

Eden reached both hands out for Sorcha. Just a little more. Almost there! Their fingertips grazed each other once, nails lightly clacking, but before Eden could angle themself to get a decent grip, the vines snapped and howling gusts carried the little gemstone past the mountain they had hidden in away from their family.

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Sorcha let out a terrified scream as she was flung deeper into the forest behind her. The little ice cube landed with an 'Oomph!' Sorcha laid there for a long while, ċhėst heaving raggedly from impact. As soon as her breathing smoothed out and she was no longer dizzy, Sorcha rolled over and pushed herself up. She surveyed her surroundings through a mess of debris-laden hair as she strove to get her bearings together. That way. Sorcha decided. She stood up and dusted the cleaves and bits of dirt off and started walking back to where she had come from.

She managed a few steps before something grasped her ankles, jerking her off her feet. Ever since Sorcha had woken up here, she had never felt the cold, which was a new for her, but now? She couldn't help but to shiver. Sorcha kicked at the thing's icy grasp and her feet passed through it.

She shifted, trying to grasp at the water that had encircled her ankle. To no avail, her hands slipped through water, scraping the pale tender skin underneath, leaving behind minor cuts from her sharp claws. Nothing worked. Tears fell from her eyes as she turned and grasped at the moist earth below her, her claws grasping for purchase as something dragged deeper her into the forest.

"I am going to die here." Sorcha clenched her eyes shut. Io was gone and Dagan was bursting and unable to help. Eden had disappeared when their shelter had ripped apart. Her power wasn't something that she could use on-demand. This was all for nothing. She should have stayed where she was, then maybe, just maybe, she would have been able to help. 'No, that wasn't it,' Sorcha corrected herself. She just didn't try enough. Struggle enough. Fight hard enough.

One night, back on Earth, towards the end, Io had overheard a massive hunt gathering for twin wildings in The Ruins. As soon as she returned to the library, Io armed herself heavily in her bone weaponry and packed as much food as Dagan and Sorcha and she could carry. That night they ran into the Wastelands, leaving the city behind.

This had not been something that Io had taken lightly. The Wastelands were just that. Nothing lived there. No trees. No plants. No animals. Just dust. At any point, a sandstorm could occur, but that wasn't what made it so dangerous. It was easy enough to hunker down for the day, but days? Many people had tried braving the sandstorms but lost their way. The skeletons that lined the canyons, was a testament to those hidden dangers and an ominous warning to those who ventured out of the city.

Dangerous as that was, trying to survive in the Wastelands was a better option. Twins were a priceless commodity, practically unheard of, and exotic meant ȯbsċėnėly expensive. Especially if it could expand a reigning family's power, repopulate their house, or curry favor. That was if Dagan and Sorcha were lucky. There was also the chance that after a family harvested Sorcha and Dagan's reproductive organs, they would then dump the twins in one of the many pŀėȧsurė houses or gladiator rings that littered the outskirts to continue to bring a profit to the family.

This was accomplishable through a sizable bounty. It guaranteed a lifetime of opulence to whoever brought in the twin wildlings. When Io had heard the stakes, she knew the masses would stir into a maniacal frenzy. That nothing would stop them until they had overturned every rock, nook, or cranny and the city coated red from violent outbreaks.

Sorcha and Dagan sat as close as they could, backs pressed against the wall, wrapped in that cloak to keep the grey dust that seemed to cover everything from getting into their eyes. While they waited, Io backtracked, erasing their tracks and killing any who had been following them.

As the clouds grew darker, Io finally appeared. It had been half a day since the twins had seen her. Sorcha remembered Io grinning at them, blood speckling her face and long white hair. The silver scar that crossed her face only highlighted her high cheekbones and bright blue eyes.

They traveled through the night on foot into the next, then the day after that. Barring relieving themselves, they never stopped walking. They even ate and drank as they walked. That first night they didn't sleep, too intent on getting as far as they could away from the city. The second night, Io wrapped the twins using the grey cloak she had left them. Sorcha on Io's ċhėst and Dagan, Io's back. Io did that the second and third night while the twins slept. The morning of the fourth day, the twins forced Io to lie down and sleep because she could not keep them safe if she wasn't alert. When Io woke up that night, they ate slowly, cuddled together under that grey cloak.

They continued their journey for three weeks. More times than not, Io would carry twins for hours when they grew too tired to rest and sleep every two nights. Sorcha had grown more and more worried as the dark circles under Io's darkened and she grew thinner. Throughout their trek, the twins ate one time a day. Never missing their rations, but Io?

Sorcha remembered one night. Dagan had fallen asleep early and Io was standing guard. Even though they had run into the wasteland, determined bounty hunters had eventually followed. When she asked Io how she had gotten so strong and brave, Io had simply smiled, gently patted her head, and said, "It isn't that I am strong or brave. Rather, I am terrified. I don't want to lose you or Dagan. So I am going to do everything that I can do to keep you both safe."

Sorcha didn't understand. Io had killed time and time again.. She had tricked, played, and murdered others to keep Dagan and her safe and never backed down from doing what needed to be done. How was that fear that enabled Io to keep them safe? If Io was scared, then why didn't she run away?