Cee helped me to my feet and out the opening to the valley beyond. I was tapped magically, wounded physically, and Cee wasn’t unscathed either—but we would live.

It was nighttime now and we didn’t have our bearings, and we needed to recouperate. I seriously doubted Cee would be able to carry me now anyway, so we decided to make camp in the unknown valley. All I wanted was to be back under Ghisé’s watchful eyes, but Cee was right to suggest spending the night here. Most of our supplies were at the base camp, but our packs had rations and water, we could just rest. Each breath I took of the crisp night air restored my mana reserves as well. I was experiencing a different kind of thirst that water couldn’t quench—a thirst specific to my nature as Lightblessed.

It would be a miracle if they found us. If they were searching, it would probably be in the tunnels, rather than wherever we’d come out, and our fire was hardly large enough to serve as a signal. I hoped dearly that there were no more of those earth-wyrms in the tunnel system. Its terrifying ability to wield gravity would surely put any unsuspecting warrior on the back foot.

Cee was poking at the fire while I forced down some dry biscuits with a water-skin chaser. I wondered if Earthblessed were similar to the wyrm we encountered. Could they manipulate gravity as instinctually as I did electromagnetic fields? I thought that might be a product of my memories of Earthun, but there was no way of knowing if I’d be as adept without them. Jiju always had me to avoid Earthblessed. If they were as impervious to my breath as that creature was, and with the intelligence to wield gravity even more fiercely, it seemed like good advice.

Cee’s poking of the fire sent a cascade of sparks into the air, pulling my attention towards her again. Her eyes darted to me, even as she remained facing the fire. “How did you kill that thing anyway?” she asked. “Magic? You pointed at it, then suddenly it was wounded.”

“That was the railgun… plus a little trick at the end,” I answered. “The weapon the Chief wants would put that power in anyone’s hands.”

 Cee poked at the fire a few more times before tossing the stick she was holding into the pile. She moved over to me and took a seat. “The weapon you don’t want to make,” she said.

“I didn’t but…” I sighed and rubbed my eyes, “Well it would’ve been great if you had one back there. Maybe those weapons would do more good than harm.”

“I don’t understand why you’d think otherwise, but I’m really trying to.”

Her silvery eyes pierced mine, as if the answer could be found there. Maybe it was the trials we just overcame, but maybe she respected me a bit more now—or at least her opinion on my capability changed. Unfortunately I didn’t have all the answers, and was rethinking my current conclusions. I was also rethinking my sisters' judgement of Cee.

Despite her personal goals, she was willing to stand and fight alone if it meant preserving my life, the life of the Lightblessed. Her devotion to the village couldn’t be questioned, even if she had a dumb way of expressing it. She didn’t want the position for the sake of power, she wanted what’s best for the village… She just happened to believe that her becoming Chief would be best, and I found myself agreeing with that.

“There’s no need Cee. But I won’t just make weapons, I want to make our day to day lives better too.”

A slight smile started growing on my sister’s face, “Tali, I’m really happy to hear that. Can you tell me your ideas? Together we can do great things for our people, maybe you can convince the rest of the clutch to help.”

“I’ll try. I do have one condition though, something I want from you, and you alone.”

“If it’s within my authority…”

“I’m certain it is. I want you to come to visit the clutchhome once a week.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I want you around again. You don’t have to talk to Alex and Vander, but I want you to come. I'll talk to everyone about their attitude, though you need to be civil too—meet the clutch halfway. I’m certain they just miss you… you hate us, right?”

“Of course I don’t!” she seemed genuinely offended by the insinuation.

“Then it'll be fun! Plus you can check on my process, maybe even help. It’s not like you won’t get anything out of it.”

She turned back to stare at the fire for a long moment—apparently she couldn’t immediately agree—but eventually she turned back to me and nodded. “Okay, I can do that.”

I beamed a smile at her and pulled her into a hug, and she squeezed me back.

We found sleep eventually, huddled close for warmth and comfort. Her fuller plumage did most of the work, but I was glad to have her close and to be alive—hoping she felt the same.

———

The night passed by uneventfully, mercifully—I wouldn’t mind the rest of the trip being boring. When the sun came up, Cee took to the skies to find our bearings.

Watching her fly was a treat—and she just made it look so easy. Where Ghisé was powerful, Cee was swift. Where Sen danced with grace, Cee was efficient. When she finally came back down, I wasn’t sure if her smile was from good news, or just her relief at not having tons of rock overhead.

“So, do you know where we are?” I asked, hopeful.

She nodded and grinned, “Yes, we’re going to be fine. I can see the Redwood, we’re on the other side of the ridge from the mine entrance. We just need to go up and over…” Her smile became much more forced as she said, “Which you’ll need help with…”

I’d been on the receiving end of my sisters’ teasing already since my return—mostly from Ghisé and Kelz. At first I welcomed it as a sign that they were comfortable with my presence again, but even Jiju was beginning to tire of my excuses. My plumage was recovering fast, and with my magic I could fly as if my wings were full. The only thing really keeping me from learning now was fear.

As accomplished as I felt when I was able to use the second spear-stance, there was a huge difference between hovering and full flight. To truly fly wasn’t just a matter of height, but also required tilting forward to glide and dive. My stomach just couldn’t take it, and started doing flips when my closest body part to the ground wasn’t ‘feet.’

I would need Cee to carry me back to the mine… and just when I was getting her to believe in my confidence.

"Yeah..." I admitted.

We stopped for Cee to rest when we crested the ridge. She was quiet while we rested, and though she didn’t look frustrated, she was certainly disappointed—somehow that hurt worse. It made me nostalgic for the louder disapproval she showed in the weeks leading up to the trip. I vowed that I’d get serious about learning to fly as soon as we returned home.

Eventually, we did make it back to the entrance, though it took us a couple of hours. I gave Molly a comforting pat when I saw her still tied up outside the entrance, eating some feed from a trough. When we entered the cave we found the camp still set, but our companions weren’t found. There were signs of breakfast though, so we could safely assume they made it back after our fall.

“They must be off searching the tunnels,” I said.

Cee nodded in agreement. “Stay here Tali, I’ll find them.”

“I can help look,” but my protest withered under Cee's scrutiny.

With a sigh I found my way over to my nest of bedding and carefully laid down. As I waited, keenly aware of my pulse throbbing in my aches, I wondered why I was so frustrated? I identified the ore, found the tools with Cee, dealt a vital wound to the wyrm… I did more than my fair share. It was unfair to beat myself up just because I had to be carried like a sack of potatoes all morning, but the moment I couldn't keep up with Cee, I lost. I hated losing to her the most... I guess I didn't grow out of that.

———

Nearly an hour went by before Cee returned, accompanied by Ahbe, Ghisé, and Sen—everyone was accounted for. The breath I didn’t even know I was holding was knocked free when Ghisé and Sen scrambled over and threw themselves at me—safe and sound.

“Tal!”
“Sis!” Ghisé and Sen greeted me respectively.

“Hey! Careful!” Cee scolded them from the other side of the camp, “She’s injured.”

My sisters withdrew their affections suddenly, which hurt in a different way from the aches of being hugged, but I accepted my situation. I noticed Cee wasn’t being completely ignored herself, with Ahbe seeming more fixated on my silvery sister than she even was previously.

“What happened to you two? You disappeared without a trace,” Ahbe asked.

“We uh, had a bit of trouble,” I responded.

“Duh,” said Ghisé. She put her hands on my cheeks and smushed my face as she said, “You aren’t leaving my side until we’re home.”

 “Hey! I was with her, and I brought her back. How about some credit Ghisé?” It seemed like Cee took issue with my guardian’s remarks. “I can protect her too.”

My eyes went wide and I tilted my head, shooting a glance at her. You agreed to chill Cee!

She must’ve caught my meaning because Cee quickly added, “I-I mean, we can all protect Talivi together… She’s precious to us all… R-right?”

I scrambled to adjust my features into a smile as Ghisé cocked her brow at me—and I nodded. Ghisé huffed, but held her tongue. I considered that a small victory. Sen, for her part, walked up to Cee and studied her for a moment. She took her hands and beamed a bright smile, which was Senlish for approval.

“So what now Miss Cee, Miss Lightblessed? Do we turn back now?”

“No,” I urged, “We need this journey to be a successful one. It will elevate our status among our people.”

I studied Cee as she thought on it for a moment. Her eyes darted to each of the party members, and she studied me extra close. “If Tali says she can go on… then I agree.” I watched as her eyes turned towards Ghisé, then back to me. “You’re sure Tali?”

“Absolutely.”

Ghisé found her way to my side and whispered, “If anything worse happened to you, everyone back home would be devastated. If this mission is a failure, that's on Cee, not us.”

“Cee is ‘us,’” I whispered back with a sharp harsh tone. “She’s one of the clutch: a fact I’ll remind every one of daily if I need to, but since you're a Guardian, you won't need reminders.”

“Tch,” she clicked her tongue at first, maybe on instinct, but her hardened expression melted to one of slight shame at her response. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and responded clearly, “Yes Lightblessed Talivi.” Using titles like that felt impersonal to me and stung, but I knew that in Ghisé’s case it was meant to convey a sense of loyalty and duty. Despite Jiju’s constant reminder of my station, I didn’t feel comfortable throwing my status as Blessed around. I suspected my need for it would only grow over time though.

After watching the exchange, though not hearing it, Cee gave an order of her own, “Ahbe, carry Tali, and be gentle.”

“Yes Miss Cee.”

“One moment…” I pulled my pack around and drew the mallet and two chisels from it, handing them to Ghisé. “You can use these to chip the metal ore out of the walls,” I instructed, “Also, hold still.“ With a hand on her shoulder, I guided myself around Ghisé’s side. I sectioned off some of her brunette hair and pulled it up next to a sturdy brown feather, mottled with white.

“Tal, I’m not good at this,” she said with a hint of dejection—well I had cowed her just a moment ago.

I flicked her ear playfully. “You’ll do great, it’ll just help you chip through the rock easier. This isn’t a battle or anything, but I’m counting on you since I’m too injured.”

I signaled Ahbe, who approached and guided me up into a princess-style carry. Resting against her chest, I could tell her muscles were well honed. She must have trained hard as a warrior in her own right, and I quietly wondered to myself how it compared to some of the hells Jiju put us through.

———

With the addition of the tools found in the deep mine tunnels, we were able to harvest more than just discarded scraps like the day before. Ahbe carried me up and down the tunnels where I pointed out veins for Ghisé and Cee to harvest or micro-napped to the rhythmic tapping of hammer on chisel. Sen was making consistent runs of the ore back to the mine entrance and loading it into the wagon for Molly to haul when we were ready to return.

I did learn that the rest of our group had spent hours searching the tunnels for us last night, and only turned in when they were too exhausted to keep it up any longer. Then they got up early, ate quickly, and resumed searching again. Despite still not finding any ways up or down, they covered much of the tunnel system in their searching, so the routes were now familiar. Unfortunately, their mapping was done with the single minded purpose of finding Cee and I, so our metal stockpile didn't grow while Cee and I were away.

We only had two chisels, so Ahbe and I chatted while my sisters went about their work. She mostly spoke about Cee, or ‘Miss Cee’ as she put it—which was cute at first, but by the end of the day I was beginning to tire of her subject of choice. I tried getting her to talk about herself or her interests, yet somehow the line of conversation always found its way back to Cee.

Did Ahbe had feelings for Cee beyond just her duty to the future chief—and if so, how did Cee feel? How would Kelz feel? Thinking about it, Cee didn’t really talk about herself much at all, other than her responsibilities. I needed to get her to open up emotionally… I’m certain she used to be more expressive, speaking boldly even when she should’ve kept her thoughts private.

As the day went on, my three sisters became more in sync, working faster and with less stepping on toes both figuratively and literally. It was nice to see them on the same page. For all their squabbling, both as chicks and now, this was more like what I expected when returning from Redwall. I wanted more of this, and if Cee kept her word to visit, I’d get it.

When the day finally ended without incident we gathered around the wagon and took note of our haul.

“So, what do you think Tali?” Cee asked. “Do we need to stay another day? I think it’ll be safe.”

I hobbled my way to the wagon and felt at the concentration and shape of the magnetic fields in the samples. I could tell the ore had varying levels of metal content, but we had a lot—magic is just too convenient! We would definitely need to return in the future, but what we had should be enough to get started with production.

“I think this should be all we need for now, enough for the weapons and some fun other projects." I grinned, "Plus if we get home a little early, it will be a nice surprise for Jiju!"

We had iron, copper, and some other interesting feeling ones. It would be nice if there was some silver and gold in there. I had ideas about sending Vander out to Redwall for trade—getting a few things from the humans could go a long way toward us cutting corners.

“Okay,” Cee nodded, “We’ll start making our way back at first light.”

Since we were done with the mines, we decided to break down camp and retreat into the Redwoods before calling it a day completely. Even flightless, there was something unsettling about being too far from the open sky. We unanimously preferred traveling a bit of twilight for the sake of sleeping more easily. Though I didn’t think there were actually more of those earthwyrms around, Cee and I didn’t want to take chances.

The two of us had come to an unspoken agreement to not be fully honest about our ordeal. We left out the earthwyrm and its magic in our retelling, attributing both of our injuries to the fall. Personally, I didn’t want them to worry, and wanted even less for Ghisé to hold herself responsible. For Cee maybe it was the same, but I could think of a few other motives: she didn’t want Ahbe to fear, she didn’t want Sen or Ghisé to think less of her competence, or maybe she was scared to relive the events herself.

The look of confusion and helplessness on her face when the sky stretched out below us would forever be burned into my memory. It existed right next to Ghisé’s yelp of pain when I shocked her that day so many years ago.

We were still more than a day’s journey out from the village when we stopped and made camp, but the familiar Redwoods certainly felt more like home than the mines. It was worth pushing Molly a bit.

Ghisé was helping me get settled into my nest, simultaneously fussing over my injuries and being scared to touch me and cause pain. She removed her braid after we left the mines, likely unable to trust her control once she was ready to take over my care from Ahbe.

When I finally dozed off next to my guardian, my dreams reminded me how close to the end we came against the earthwyrm, complete with Cee’s look of horror. Of course, the nightmare played Ghisé’s scream for me too. More screams mixed with Ghisé's screams I never heard—that is until I was shaken awake by Ahbe, and realized the panicked yells were coming from somewhere beyond the edges of our camp.

The five of us, suddenly awake and alert, shared a look. Somewhere out there, people were having an even worse night.

Dreyva

Hey readers! Been a few chapters since my last little author's note blurb, and I'm making it extra long cause it's been SIX MONTHS since I posted my prologue! So here some juicy news and thoughts.

We'll start with the grapefruit (sweet > bitter)—My story got on the SH front page of tending multiple times! Woah. Honestly incredible, getting this exposure and new readers! I have been seeing where readers fall off, getting upset by low reviews, and that was tough too. In the end, my conclusion is that the middle of Part 1 is the worst... which I already knew! I won't change it in this series though.

Then the cranberry (sweet + sour)—I do have plans for a future rewrite, but not before finishing this story. At this time, I am finishing up my chapter 31 draft, so yeah I'm not slowing, and it's probably going to end up around 40 chapters. If you're curious about my plans for after, I'm posting to my SH profile, and I'll likely keep updates there going forward.

Finishing with apple (extra sweet)—Seriously thank you all for reading each week, because seeing familiar names pop up in stats or the comments of each release gives me a push to continue this journey. Writing, and in such a public fashion, has been an incredible experience, so to people who have been here since I first clicked "create series" to those who found me on trending, thank you for giving me those pushes! <3

There also happened to be an eclipse in North America today! (Mar. 8 2024) I wasn't in the path of totality, but it was wild to see it get noticeably darker. I suppose in the world of Hatched, the green moon would block out the sun so completely that it would be as dark as a moonless night and last much longer. I wonder what sort of orbital period would be needed to skip an entire "day."