The Keeper's clan pt1
The scent of damp earth and old, ancient stone filled the nostrils of the four reos as they padded cautiously through the shadowed labyrinth of caves. It had been a while since they left the territory of the Depthstriders Clan, and their journey toward the Keepers Clan territory was proving more arduous than anticipated. And more dusty, for some reason. Talk about a 180, from the water filled caves to the dust and debris ones.
Cailu paused at the fork of two tunnels, his eyes scanning the paths ahead. Jeon-e stopped short of him, also looking at the two tunnels pensively.
“Any clue?” asked Mer, his voice a low rumble. His voice has got the worst of it, his throat dry from all the dust, making an ugly noise when he spoke.
Jeon-e shook her head, her ears flicking in frustration. “No scent, no markings. The air here is so dusty, it masks everything. It seems like these tunnels haven't been traversed in years and the dust makes us all sneeze.”
“Maybe we should rest,” suggested Valentine, his tone cautious. “We’ve been walking for hours, and we have no idea where to go now that's better than what we had 30 minutes ago.”
Cailu nodded. “I'm sorry i cannot help, they should be easier to find but i haven't been to their clan in a long time. Let’s check near that basin we passed earlier, maybe the other paths have traces of haedians using them.”
The reos pivoted on their tracks and walked back toward the small basin of water they had passed earlier. The basin, naturally carved into the stone, reminded them of the Depthstriders' clan territory, so the sense of familiarity gave them comfort. Tiny droplets of water fell from the gems above it, creating a rhythmic sound when they breached the surface.
They looked around the other tunnels for a while, but it was Cailu who noticed the markings first.
“Look,” he said, his voice cutting through the quiet. His paw pointed toward a section of the wall near the basin, the start of one of the smaller tunnels.
There, marked in the stone, were a series of rudimentary markings and symbols. They were little drawings, and the symbols seemed to make words, but it wasn't something the 3 vayrons from the surface could understand. The markings were faint, and they didn't seem to actually be engraved in the rocks, but they somehow seemed to be in the crystals, a couple millimetres below the surface. Jeon-e got closer to the markings and tried touching one of the gems, and confirmed that it was indeed below the surface of the gems.
“What is it?” Mer asked, stepping closer.
“Writings,” Cailu muttered, his face close to the wall. “It's in the writing system we use here, I didn't realize you wouldn't understand it, after all, we speak the same language. Maybe the writing styles have changed since the haedians retreated underneath the land. Anyway, they're basic instructions on where to go, but they mention a path I don't know where it would bring us”
Before anyone could speculate further, a voice echoed from deeper in the caves. “You’re lucky you have a haedian with you, or you would not have found those markings so easily.”
The reos turned around with hurry, hackles raised, and found themselves facing a haedian. He emerged from the shadows of the tunnel with deliberate slowness, his movements slow but purposeful. His fur was a deep forest green, almost black, with gold markings all over him and eyes glinting in the dark. A series of faint scars marked his muzzle and shoulders, telling of past battles.
“Who are you?” Cailu demanded, stepping in front of his packmates.
“Khaldor,” the haedian replied simply, inclining his head. “And you?”
Cailu hesitated before responding. “I am Cailu. These are Jeon-e, Mer, and Valentine.”
Khaldor’s gaze shifted to the markings on the wall. “You have keen yes, Cailu, but i would expect it from a haedian.”
“What are those markings?” Jeon-e asked, wanting to understand what the haedians were talking about.
Khaldor stepped closer. “They’re notes. Or, at least, attempts at notes. They detail what others have observed about this place, specifically what we have noticed about this pool of water.” He gestured with his face toward the small pool. “It's a newer addition to our territory, and it’s a mystery that has us more confused than anything.”
“What do you mean?” Valentine asked.
“The water,” Khaldor explained. “It drips from the gems above, but there’s no clear source. No stream, no spring, no hole in the wall for it to come from, nothing at all. It simply... appears. The haedians who left those markings were trying to understand where it comes from. Multiple people leaving multiple notes for the next one to analyze and think through”
The three vayrons exchanged glances, looking around and noticing that it was indeed as Khaldor had said. No origin for this mysterious water, just the constant dripping noise. It was Jeon-e who broke the silence.
“The air here is really humid though,” she said, studying the walls and ceiling. “It's probably the origin of the drops at least.”
“Humid?” Khaldor echoed, his tone tinged with confusion.
Jeon-e nodded, her tail swishing thoughtfully. “The air is full of moisture. You can feel it on your fur, and you should feel the air is weirder when you breathe it in.”
Khaldor frowned "But where does it come from?”
Jeon-e continued. “From itself,” he said.
“What?” Khaldor asked.
“It's the cycle of water,” Valentine said “Water doesn’t just flow, but goes through a series of steps by itself. It evaporates from surfaces, in this case the pool, and by evaporating it becomes part of the air. Then it condenses again when the conditions are right, forming droplets like those we see here, falling from the crystals.”
Mer intervened, his voice animated. “Think of it this way: the moisture in the air collects on the gems, and when there’s enough of it, it starts collecting until it form a drop and falls into the basin. Over time, the basin fills.”
“But where does it all start?” Khaldor pressed. “If there’s no stream or pool feeding it, what sets the cycle in motion?”
“It could be from deeper in the caves,” Valentine suggested. “Or from the heat and pressure in the earth itself. The moisture rises, condenses here, and then starts the process over again. It could be there is an opening somewhere connected to a lower cave that holds water and it slowly started collecting here when it rose as vapor.”
Jeon-e intervened “From where we come from, we have rain. Rain is water that pours down in huge amounts, but not at once, in small droplets. Like here, above ground water rises into the sky, becomes clouds, a mass of humidity, and then falls again.”
Khaldor listened intently, his expression thoughtful. “I see. You’re saying the basin is part of a natural process, one that sustains itself without a visible source since there is so much water in it.”
“Exactly,” Valentine said. “It’s the earth’s way of sustaining itself.”
For a moment, the five reos stood in silence, the soft sound of the water droplets falling in the water filling the space between them. Then. Khaldor spoke “You’re a knowledgeable group,” he said. “Even though we pride ourselves in our knowledge, it seems we could use from discussing with outsiders like you all.”
Jeon-e glanced at the others. “Is your clan by any change the Keeper's Clan?”
Khaldor smiled "You could have asked your haedian friend this, he should know."
Cailu smiled "There wasn't a right moment, and i suspected it would have benefited them to share their knowledge with you. Hasn't it, Khaldor?"
Khaldor snorted, secretly delighted. "Come on, i have a duty as the clan's leader to record these new information in our library"
The four reos followed Khaldor, going deeper into the Keeper's territory.
1332 words
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/S-T3-Placeholder-16565-1018002484
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/S-T1-Cailu-16558-1018001366
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/Jeon-e-17263-1119400196
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/Valentine-17284-1125665856
https://www.deviantart.com/reos-empire/art/Mer-17277-1123141798
Submitted By Nora
Submitted: 1 month ago ・
Last Updated: 1 month ago
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