《Fire Breather》Chapter 014
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Markus finds himself winding through the woods again following the fairies. They've been traveling for a while, but Aurora explains the vantage point she wants everyone to see is just ahead of their position. She only describes it as a great view and nice place for a rest.
Curiosity fills Markus, and he presses Aurora for an answer of what they'll see. “So... this cliff view. You really think it will help?” He asks, but Aurora is tight lipped. A few sporadic attempts are made as they continue moving forward, but she provides nothing extra.
Unsurprisingly, Eclair eventually joins Markus in pestering Aurora for information. Eclair's curiosity was also sparked, and the constant deflections from Aurora only served to make it grow. She flies next to Aurora and rapidly starts shooting off various questions in an effort to get clues. Questions such as “Is there a waterfall?” and “How high is it?” and so on.
As that is happening, Markus is silently enjoying Eclair wear down Aurora. It's difficult to see from his point of view, but he imagines Aurora being slowly overtaken by the cheerful personality of Eclair. However, he's also impressed that Aurora is actually trying to answer everything in some way.
It doesn't take long before Aurora has had enough. Markus hears an audible groan from her as she simply gives up. She says to Eclair “Alright! Enough questions. Trust me, it's better just to see it. Not many folks know about this cliff overlook because it's out of the way. It's one of my favorite places to visit.”
Aurora's response was firm, and quickly makes Eclair shut down on asking further questions. A few minutes pass in silence before Eclair speaks up by saying “I'm sorry, I got carried away. I've never been to this area and wasn't sure what to expect.”
There isn't an immediate response from Aurora as she keeps staring straight ahead, but she suddenly lets out a sigh. Turning to face Eclair, she says “Don't worry about it. Besides... I wouldn't take us anywhere dangerous. I wouldn't be a very good guide if I got us all killed right?” They both laugh, and a renewed calm returns to the pair.
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After following Aurora for a while longer, the group finally nears the cliff overlook. The hike felt rougher than usual, with the rocky ground and uneven terrain forcing Markus to slow down. He was quietly observing how Aurora and Eclair glided in the air, ignoring all obstacles below. Even the many leaves and branches of the trees posed no issues for the pair. As the group nears their destination, Aurora flies ahead, but quickly comes back after verifying they were indeed at her spot.
“You're almost there. Just keep going straight.” Aurora says to Markus as he continues his hike. She then waves to Eclair, and points in the direction of the overlook. Eclair quickly gets the hint, and flies ahead to see the view herself. “We'll be waiting for you.” Says Aurora, as she too flies away.
“I hope the view is worth it.” Markus replies in a ragged tone to himself. It only takes a few more minutes before he starts seeing trees thinning out ahead, with blue sky behind them. He now moves faster, knowing his goal was right in front of him.
Markus passes the last line of trees, and suddenly the world opens up for him. The cliff is a dozen yards away, with Aurora and Eclair already staring out. They both cast a glance back, before returning to their sightseeing. Walking closer to the edge, he finally sees the beautiful view first hand. Hills covered by a diverse woodland of green, with open clearings and jagged rocks breaking the uniformity of the land. Looking farther beyond the hills, Markus sees the landscape quickly flatten and the woods disappear. A sea of gold and green grasses starts to form, and continues far into the horizon.
Rocks and stones have created a natural barrier at the edge of the cliff, preventing the growth of trees to obstruct the view. Markus cautiously looks down over the edge, seeing a deadly drop of several hundred yards. In each direction, the view continues for almost the same distance. Taking the time to enjoy the sight, Markus once again feels nostalgia flow into him. Everything seems so similar to where he's from, yet nothing makes sense.
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“Well... I guess it was.” Markus softly says to himself. Both girls look toward him, not catching what was said. He then asks out loud “Aurora, where do we go from here?” while gazing out across the land.
“We won't make it to Montillo before dark, so we'll stop at a place on the way with abandoned buildings for camp.” Aurora says, and then flies closer to Markus to catch his attention. Pointing to a spot between some hills at the 2 o'clock position from where they stand, she says “Look, you can see some of Montillo.”
Markus' eyes follow her pointed finger, and sees several buildings in the distance. It's clearly a town, but most of it is obstructed behind a hill. From what can be seen, the buildings are eerily similar to many of the old western towns he's visited over his life.
Another odd and sinking feeling forms inside Markus. His eyes begin to search the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of any familiar landmarks. Turning around, Markus now understands they're at the western edge of a great mountain range.
“This really is a great spot Aurora. I wouldn't expect this view out here, considering it's not too far from Little Creek.” Eclair says delightfully. The girls are still admiring the view, unaware of the growing nervousness from Markus. “I bet if you came out here at night, you would get a lovely view to the Sister Moons.”
“Moons!?” Markus yells in surprise. His head snaps back to the fairies, who are already looking at him with confusion. For the first time since leaving the cavern, Markus tilts his head directly upward into the sky. His eyes open wide in panic at the sight he sees, sweat forming on his brow, and breathing turning deep.
Markus' left hand loosens itself off the fore grip of the rifle, causing it to swing downward. The right hand soon follows, and with a thud, a metal sound echoes into the air from his dropped rifle. It was shock, and surprise, and despair all at once for Markus. High above him, there really were two moons.
The largest looked very similar to the moon he's always known. It's body partially covered by the effects of daytime, colored with blended white and gray patterns. But behind it, and just to the left, sits another partially covered moon half its size. It's dark colored red and rusty tint make it stand out against the endless blue all around it.
“Markus! Are you okay?” Aurora suddenly yells out with Eclair beside her. Both of their faces showing concern, watching as Markus blankly stares into the sky.
“I'm... I'm fine.” Markus weakly responds. Turning to the girls, a half smile tries to form, but his face betrays any sort of calm. A deep panic has set in, and it was clearly showing. He could no longer lie to himself. He could no longer make excuses or theories about his predicament. Markus knew now with absolute certainty, he was far away from home, in an unknown world.
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