We come to a silent stop as the echoes of the tunnel scratch the vile record. The woman waves her hand ahead, revealing a fork in the tunnels. She surveys each route and the wisps twitch in a specific direction. I'm not sure what she hopes to see in here. I can barely see anything.
Even with the wisps offering their emerald light, but she doesn't seem to care. It's almost as if she can see in the dark outright. All of these tunnels are near enough pitch-black and they most certainly would be without her. I've no way of telling how long any of this goes on for!
Staring at one wisp, I back away as it flickers closer. I try to swat it away. It pushes me back, ingraining caution into my thoughts. Putting my hand up on a dirt wall, I lean closer and closer towards it as my room to smack the wisp closes.
I still have no idea as to what these things are. I still, in much the same manner, do not want them near me. There's enough mental exhaustion in my head right now. No need to be scratching myself unconscious figuring out how to put up with them...
My defence is vigorous, and my supporting hand slips, bringing me through the wall. Though unharmed, I am skittish enough in my efforts to pull the hand out. Something touches me on the other side. My eyes widen and I forget my restraint, throwing myself into the back-opposite wall.
The woman snaps around and my gaze does the same to reach hers. I shoot a shaking finger at the first hole I made in this accident. She turns with me to look at it, leaving me to get up on my own. I manage with little difficulty, but she does quickly stick a palm out to keep me grounded.
She reaches the hole.
A gateway to the suffering that has otherwise been muffled for us up to this point. Whimpers and tears. It's all there past the hole, all those horrible sounds we want to escape. I eye the woman as her focus breaks and she backs away, shame all over her shadow-crested face. It all somehow makes the already unbearable dark all the heavier.
I step towards the hole as quickly as I can and peek. The light at my back helps me see further than I imagine I would be able to otherwise, even with the surprisingly plentiful light within the dim chamber. It's enough to give me a decent look. I am very thankful for it, being able to see keeps my fears in check. The imagination is a terrible weapon for those who would teach the world to fear.
I blink away the slipping in memory of my old literature classes and focus on a shape. A feminine one. At least, it seems to be such, the familiar shape is well... Familiar enough. It has to be, the pain I can hear, it's got the light-high pitch one would expect of one.
However, this woman is not human. In fact, most of the light within the chamber is coming from pairs of dangling things on her head. Their heads. I purse my lips and look across as much of the room as I can.
I don't see any... It is better than more bugs; I suppose.
Pulling my head back to check on the woman, I find myself ponderous. When I was in the bug's frame thing, I only saw and heard men. In this chamber, I only see and hear what I think are women. What is the reason for it? Why are we kept separate...? It can't be as simple as a difference in blood.
Movement sounds off on the other side of the hole. My eyes flinch around and I come face-to-face with something. Digging my hands into the wall with cracking force, I restrain my frightful want to jump. There will be no accidents, not now. I blink myself somewhat calm and focus.
One of the creatures from the other side is looking at me. The lights on her head share a similar glow to the filth-caked hair on her head. An oddly unnatural looking bright yellow, too literally yellow to be a blonde of any kind. It's coming out in many thick strands, almost rectangular, and her eyes... They're completely devoid of white or even colour for that matter...
The creature turns hysteric; her noises not meaning anything in-depth to me. Stepping back, I reach for the woman and wave her closer as she should be able to understand, no? She comes into view for the hole's other side occupant and a pair of arms shoot through, their grip occupied. A large, rigid and brown object wobbles before us.
I cling to the sound of choked-back tears, their noise actually meaning something. A mother...? The woman I am with is utterly shocked by the item and carefully takes it. She passes it over to me, her gentle touch passing on into my hands.
"What am I supposed to do with this...?" I let out, maintaining my point of not adjusting my grip in the slightest. This thing is fragile. Minding my business as the two women talk, I inspect the object closer, only to confuse myself. This is a giant plant seed.
Somewhat long and elongated, it thickens up on one end as if it has a helmet. This change in shape accompanies a new, lighter shade and a strange patterned feel to it. Like a field of rhombus prints. A hand goes down to the point on the other end, taking the grooves that'll take me there. There's also a piece of fluff coming out of the helmeted top. A plume.
The woman's hand touches me and she brings me to the hole, making me look through it again. I focus on the creature's strange eyes, picking up on the similarities it has with a pair like mine. Having heard her noises from before and what ones she's making now, I understand what she's trying to convey. Words, understood or not. She's begging and pleading with all she has...
She wants us to keep this seed safe.
I gulp, unable to find the ability to say 'no' anywhere on the inside. A shaky sigh escapes me and I nod at the creature, making my way to leave. I stop instantly, her hand desperately reaching out even after she begged us to get it out. She tenderly rubs it, clutching it with heart-cutting tears.
Her grip tightens, and she refuses to let go as the sobs get worse. The woman starts to walk me away, forcing the creature to let go. We are this thing's best chance... But, what exactly is this seed, anyway?
Chitters rumble in the air like the thunder for a particularly bad storm on its way. The creature stops her sobs and the light from the tunnel is blotted out. She's put her back to the hole. Moving my mouth in the motions of a prayer, I try to get any god I can to bless her with safety. I switch to shuffling away from the hole and keep my ears open for the omnipresent chitters.
No claws burst through to grab us. So, we have a chance from here on out to make it out... Out... The mere thought is making me shiver with nothing akin to anticipation.
"Hey, uh, maybe you should take this? I can't even walk properly..." I ask the woman as I continue to shuffle ahead. At a pace slower than before, even!
She does not understand a word I say, and she stares back at me. Her eyes adjust and I watch those lines of emerald shimmer. She seems to understand what I want and offers her aid. With the blessings of a woman's instincts, she takes it into her hands. Though I can say nothing about her end of it, she's certainly reminding me of a mother with how she holds it.
Shaking the flashing image of the Goddess of Motherhood out of my head, I move. Keeping myself at a respectable distance, I trail her and the wisps. A breeze starts to disturb the hairs on my face. I sneer at the whistling lights and they fly out of the way, revealing the truth.
My attention snaps down the tunnel and I feel it fully. There's a weak breeze coming for us from way down there. Swatting at the wisps some more, I squint my eyes and focus on the far end... Focusing more and more-
There's light at the end of the tunnel, there is light!
"Light... Light. L-Light!" I repeat, all of my self-control and inhibitions losing themselves in the waves of euphoria. I pass the woman with an uncontrollable leap and flop into the erupting dirt. Getting back up with scooping power, I throw myself ahead even further. The light ahead is getting brighter! It isn't much and the trappings of night are approaching, but there is light!
Light!
The woman's calls finally break through to me and I ignore it all. I throw myself at the exit and hit the ground with an unslayable smile. I get up and stagger into the open, looking around the forest I find myself in. I breathe all the relief I can out of my system.
Another shaky step forward brings me further out. I take it all in, every tree and every blade of grass. The colour and the shapes, all of it. My legs bend as far as they can go, springing all the energy I feel like they can hold. I want to leap as high as I can and get away from here.
My legs push, throwing me into the air with a boom- A bug roars and I lose my form and panic!