From the day Io left, Eden worked to persuade Sorcha and Dagan to escape. The behemoth that had come after them was not something that they could handle. Dagan and Sorcha were obstinate in their insistence that Io would keep them safe and return to them as soon as she killed the behemoth.
It was confusing to Eden. Where did they get that confidence? Why would a creature like Io spare them the time? It made more sense that Io was toying with them until the game grew tiresome to eat her prey. It just so happened that the behemoth interrupted their time together and Io made a valiant exit under the pretense of going out to 'save them all.'
It was frustrating. Even though they looked the same, were the same species, they were... Different. Why would Dagon and Sorcha trust an outsider rather than one of their own? They bit the tip of their claw, brows scrunched together. Out of nowhere, Dagan ran his claws gently over Eden's forehead, smoothing out the little lines.
"Eden, you okay?" The little flame questioned, concern lacing his voice as he began to carefully run his hands through Eden's long black hair, gently detangling it.
"I'm just tired." Eden closed their eyes and leaned into Dagan's touch, enjoying the sensation of being cared for. Their world could be so cold, but moments like this made all the memories of danger fade for just a little.
'Forget it,' Eden thought. They could only do what they could do. Tomorrow and the days that followed would be up to the three of them to survive. It was important that Dagan and Sorcha learn to rely on Eden, too. Not that Eden didn't enjoy their care, but Eden needed them to know that Eden could contribute as well.
Eden felt better with that in mind. It was like someone had lifted a weight from their shoulders. Slowly, their breathing deepened, the soothing ministrations of Dagan untangling and braiding their long black hair, sent the hatchling off to sleep sweet dreams.
After Eden's breakdown, Dagan and Sorcha stayed close, never straying too far. One of them either holding Eden's hand or was close enough for their shoulders to touch. Eden didn't want to admit it, but it was soothing. Is this what having a family was like? They knew to stick with others of their kind, that there was safety when the few of their species could be found, but this feeling of warmth was... Nice.
On the thirteenth day, Eden collapsed. Dagan and Sorcha carried Eden further into the back of the cave, where the water dripped off a pale stalactite onto a bowl-shaped stalagmite. Once they got Eden there, Dagan rested Eden's head on his lap while Sorcha brought handful after handful of water.
"Sorcha." Dagan looked up at his twin.
Sorcha stared back. Her beautiful scales once looked like crushed opals, were now crusted with dirt. Where the dirt had brushed off, it revealed dull-white scales. Dagan knew his own orange scales had become a dull, rusted color and figured that this was due to lack of food. Eden had been able to supply fruits and vegetables sparingly those first ten days, but on the thirteenth day, Eden could no longer bear it and had collapsed.
"Eden, not like us." Dagan looked down and gently ran his claws through Eden's long black hair.
"No, Eden not." Sorcha calmly agreed as she slowly tipped her hand so the water would not get into Eden's lungs. Indeed, the little gemstone had hatched here. Even with the sparse food that Eden had grown those first couple of days, it was like a feast for Sorcha and Dagan.
"But Eden try so hard." Sorcha continued. "We," Sorcha inhaled deeply, "need to go. Eden needs us. Io not here, but Eden, Eden..." Sorcha stopped talking as she tried not to cry at the thought. Dagan and she didn't mind going without. Really, they didn't. They had been through so much and even though Io had always done her best to provide. It was just that the world they had lived in was exhausted of its natural resources.
Dagan looked at Sorcha, really looked at her. She had lost weight, and her cheekbones were getting sharper and sharper. The fruit that Eden had provided was delicious and the twins made sure that Eden had eaten most of it. While Dagan and Sorcha were used to not eating for days at a time, for some odd reason, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were no longer human, the lack of food was beginning to take its toll on them.
That was not a good thing. It was one thing to reasonably go without, but Dagan knew they could not go without so long that it weakened them. Sorcha and he had been lucky that it was Io that had found them. It had taken Dagan a long time to trust Io because he was intimately acquainted with the ugly monsters that hid inside people.
Still, as much as Dagan wanted to wait for Io, he knew Io would want none of them to come to harm, even if it was to her detriment. That was just how Io was, and if Dagan was honest with himself, both he and Sorcha had failed in looking after Eden. It didn't matter that Eden never complained. Both he and Sorcha should have noticed there was an issue.
Dagan could tell Sorcha felt the same way as he did when she made eye contact, the anguish there a reflection of his own.
"Yes, Sorcha. Io always left us in a safe place, but she, she" Dagan sniffled as he finished, "she always came back." His small frame shook as he tried to keep the pain that was tearing through his heart inside. Sorcha needed him to be strong, just like Io. Dagan lifted his head and rubbed his arm against his eyes.
"Dagan?" Sorcha asked her eyes as luminous as moonlit waters from her tears.
Looking up at the ceiling, "Dag," Sorcha started, as she began rubbing her small claws across her twin's back.
"Hmm?"
"We're too weak. If we were strong, Io would not leave us. She'd have had us to help."
"En."
"It was our fault. Our fault again! Again! We hurt Io again." Tears slipped down her cheeks, the clear water dragging dirt with it as it became small bits of ice when finally fell off her cheeks. Dagan kept quiet, letting his sister mourn. They couldn't count how many times their Io had bled to keep them safe, all the while laughing it off. It didn't matter that she had acted as if her wounds did not hurt, that she had bled for them was hellacious.
Little as they were, Dagan and Sorcha had been abused. They had seen men laughing as they did things that made other little children cry until their eyes became empty. Eventually, the children would stop struggling, some even breathing. The air had stunk, rancid from the smoke that always lingered around where they had lived.
Dagan had done his best to keep Sorcha out of the way. It was unavoidable, be it getting hit, kicked, or burned, even if he did his best to stay out of the way. However, Dagan had in place of Sorcha kept their tormentors occupied. He didn't want to think of how many times he had 'used' himself to keep Sorcha safe.
In all honesty, Io had been the one to pull them out of the dark and into the light. It just wasn't enough to just love someone. In the end, you had to have the strength to keep it safe. Otherwise, it would be stolen from you. Nothing was worse than losing someone because of your own powerlessness. It was its own special form of agony. Dagan knew how hard it was to keep someone safe. The security that he had felt whenever Io was there. It was because of this complacency that he had lost her.
Sorcha leaned down and rested her forehead against Dagan's, as if she knew he was lost somewhere in his memories. Dagan closed his eyes and took a fortifying breath. It was time. Sorcha lifted Eden off of Dagan's lap and rested the sleeping gemstone against her shoulder. Once Dagan was clear, he stood up, turned around, and crouched. It was going to be tricky, but they could manage it.
It took a few tries, each too scared to accidentally drop Eden, but eventually they got Eden onto Dagan's back. Dagan waited for Sorcha's ok and stood up slowly while Sorcha patiently held her thin arms outstretched just in case the additional weight from Eden tried to pull Dagan off his feet.
Success.
They began making their way towards the outside, with every step forward it seemed as if a fire was growing in Dagan's yellow eyes. It grew, stoked by a rage that had been brimming deep inside. Never again, he swore to himself as rage began to fill his small body, his thoughts returning to the day Io had left them.