Under the soft shades of nightfall the cave appeared to be a frightening entity, warding off visitors until the sun again rose above the cusp of the horizon. Yet, I’d seen the magical wonders just below the surface, a beautiful maze of color and rock, and I’d delighted in the mystery once before… until meeting the strange man that was Reginald. Our meeting had been all too brief, albeit disconcerting for me to regard him in one way or another, but something in the way he exposed me, or pressured me, made me want to see him once more. He possessed such a masculine quality, one that was so rarely seen upon so short an introduction… Perhaps I suffered merely from my curiosities or perhaps I’d simply taken too easily to his wicked spells- either way, I was still left… wondering.
A distant storm bent in from the south and the scent of rain made the air thick and moist. The thunder itself rumbled low and stretched as long as my muted breath, but with the mouth of the cave lingering just ahead, I knew I would escape the coming rain. However, my apprehension kept me from pressing forward, even with the knowledge of the approaching tempest. Night had inevitably fallen over most of Helovia and my mind was torn between seeking shelter beneath an unfortunate ledge that proffered no real security from the kind of storm I was anticipating, or simply giving in to the temptation of the cave… You can imagine the more logical choice proved successful, if fearsome.
With Romul tailing behind, his eyes wavering against the path ahead and the path already travelled, I felt more at ease. His thoughts were a quiet mixture of rising inquisitiveness and awareness; he was more like a circling hawk than a spirited wolf in such situations, and I thanked him for his caution despite the incessant thrumming of my nerves. In a way, the Heart Caves reminded me of fear and awe- never one without the other. I couldn’t navigate the canals like I assumed many before me could do, and that made the cavern something altogether terrifying. It reminded me of being buried alive.
When the rushing of a waterfall became more apparent upon passing the Sanctuary, or the wall of lava that had greeted me upon encountering Reginald, I followed. It was nothing more than a dull ache at the back of my senses until it grew into something wildly erotic. At first it took many attempts to locate the right pathway, but upon finally stumbling down a slender passage that opened up into the most beautiful waterfall I’d yet seen… I was amazed. It was nothing like the ones I’d witnessed during my time in the Falls, however painful their memory might have been. Somehow it was like a rich reminder of what I’d left behind- a multicolored rush that dipped into a pool of rippling teals and blues. Somehow the sight of it lanced through the worry that had been building since I’d arrived; I was happy to discover that the cave was not all darkness, but light as well.
It didn’t take Romul long to plunge headlong into the waterfall’s base and as I watched him paddling against the current, I smiled. The tingling fear from before had not passed, but at least I could revel in the happiness of my companion, no matter how volatile the world grew just above… and for once, I didn’t mind forgetting it. |
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
