Tortured Dreams: Caregivers 2

How he wished they told him how the trial worked. He would have never stepped into the pool otherwise. 

Reon was the first to sink into his memories. No matter how hard he tried to ground himself in reality by clinging to that little rock, he couldn’t fight it. It was like claws digging into his hide and pulling him under the water. 

It was warm, like Stranger and Dani said. It might’ve even been calming but the way the utter darkness surrounded him, choking out all light and left him with nothing, scared him more than anything. 

Is this what death is like? He briefly wondered. His heart hammering in his chest was the only thing indicating he must be alive. The other thing was a soreness in his throat. It was an uncomfortable dryness that had him coughing and struggling to take in breath. No matter how hard he tried. Through his nose or through his mouth, there was never quite enough air in his lungs. All the while, the soreness tightened, like a vice around his throat. 

Before the sensation could drive him insane, there came a muffled sound from the darkness. He couldn’t make out anything from the jumble of noise at first but slowly the sounds became clearer. There was something sniffing by his ear, a little too close for comfort, as well as some scuffling, digging and whining too. He thought he heard his name, but who it was that called out to him, he couldn’t tell. Then there came a laugh. One pitched too high to belong to a reosean, one devoid entirely of emotion. 

He recognized it and as soon as he did, he was falling. His breath hitched in his throat and the butterflies in his stomach turned to rocks. Wind roared in his ears, drowning out all noise. He could taste his own fear, sharp on his tongue...

The back of his head bounced off the ground, blacking out his vision and leaving stars in its place. The noises were suddenly too loud in his ears. Dirt and blood filled his nose. Something was paining his throat— no, stabbing into his throat. He gasped for air but all he could manage was a pathetic wheeze. He clawed at whatever was holding him down but he couldn’t grip anything. Only clumps of matted fur came away in his claws. 

The thing then started dragging him around, raking him over pebbles and rocks. Fire scored his back. His spine twisted and bent in awkward ways as his body was flung side to side.

“REON!!”

He could hear Eli screaming his name though he sounded too far away to help this time.

He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t cry, he couldn’t breathe. All he could do was wait out the agony as eerie laughter played over and over in his ears. 

-

“REON!!”

Forgetting about his injured leg Somos scrambled to his paws and started for the pool. He didn’t quite understand what the Caregiver’s trial was for but he knew it couldn’t involve drowning.  

One of the handmaidens was already on the move but Somos would beat her there. He jumped as far as he could into the pool but instead of parting the water, his paws smacked ice. 

“Go! Go!” He heard Frosty shout from behind him. The ice shot out before him, forming a bridge between him and where Reon once was. He was careful not to catch Dani and Stranger while they floated peacefully in their sleep. 

Somos never took his eyes off of Reon, even as he dove under water. Thankfully, he wasn’t too far under the surface. 

Somos grabbed Reon by the scruff and began swimming upwards but his thrashing was making it hard for Somos to keep them steady. Not to mention, the puller was just about his size and still heavier than him. Just as they reached the surface, the weight was lightened. Frosty grabbed Reon from Somos. Together they pulled him from the water and carried him back to the shore. Reon shivered and his body was wracked with coughing but his eyes remained closed.

When on solid ground, Somos would not let any of the haedians approach Reon, even when they insisted they were only trying to help. His case was unusual, they said. The pool would never bring harm to those who enter it. Even as they explained, Somos saw how the incident troubled them. If they doubted themselves, what did it mean for Reon? 

“He’s fine! He doesn’t need your help!” Somos snapped at a handmaiden who tried to offer a blanket again.

The Governess raised a hand and hushed the room. Somos growled but closed his mouth and instead of explaining herself like he expected her to, the haedians grew still and the room became deathly silent. The air did not stir and neither did the pool. Somos and Frosty exchanged a glance. Something was clearly happening but somehow neither of them could bring themselves to ask. 

Minutes passed before sound returned again, this time in a gentle rumble that steadily grew louder. The Governess lowered her hand. “The Matriarch has spoken to us. She kindly requests that you leave.”

“Tsk! Fine by me.” Somos scoffed. "Hey, Reon. I'm gonna take you guys home, wake up." He gently shook Reon’s shoulder. 

“It is best not to forcefully pull them from their sleep.” The Governess warned. “He has passed our trial. The Matriarch will want to see him. But you two must take your leave.”

The handmaidens moved forward to collect Reon. Somos growled. “Back off! He’s not gonna want to stay here!”

“Then he will tell us when he is awake btu you must go."

Two larger, more bulkier haedians emerged from the previous cavern. They forcefully guided Somos and Frosty back to the entrance.