Chapter 3

Nero’s heavily shut eyes fluttered as he lay sleeping in the coracle, his body curled as if
in a womb. He was both afraid and excited, sentiments not at all foreign to him. Yet there was
a tightness surrounding his body, something bonding and narrow. He wanted to stretch, to
have a sense of space around him when he felt an increasing pressure and as if the air clenched
around him. Something was moving him, and his fear and excitement grew. In an instant he
was surrounded by water and his body was moving within it, agile and loose.
Then his chest spasmed, and his body violently shook.
Nero’s yes burst open just as his hands flew to his heart. There was a moment in which
he wondered if he’d somehow breathed his last, until his bearings slowly returned; he’d fallen
asleep, it had been a dream. Relief flooded his chest as he extended his legs while rising and
reaching for the tarp above him. He rolled the cover and sat up in the boat, his head popping
above its frame. The day was at its end and the mountains surrounding the river cast great
shadows onto the water. A slight chill prickled on Nero’s skin.
He rose on the boat his eyes spanning the horizon he’d come from. Balancing his body,
his arms stretched out as he gradually turned and scanned his surroundings. His face paled,
once his gaze met the three gaping holes boring from the mountain and gaping at him. Nero
stood still, his face twisting as he stared right back. A discomfort pressed hard on his abdomen
and he leaned over the boat, aimed as far as possible, threw his head back and relieved himself.
Once his mind cleared, his gaze returned to the three voids and the familiar fear began
to settle. Nero reached for an oar, as he mused over which entry he had to face. He watched
silently, listening for the guidance inside him. ‘It’s written in your forehead’, Root Mother had
had said. The river’s tide gradually pulled the oracle forward, yet his oar remained suspended
above the water, as he waited.
*
Narreen had sat as she leisurely watched her mate’s oracle appear down the river. She’d
chosen a rock on higher ground, shielded by the trees. She’d bundled a few branches, as if
creating a small window to watch the caves while the turtle lay on her lap, idly settled in the
crevice of her thighs. Her wait had been long enough to afford her a nap and another meal for
although she’d been certain the Yakamouz had entered the caves, she was unsure of which
mouth it had chosen. She’d considered entering any of the gaping cavities just to begin a
search, but intuitively she’d chosen to stay; she’d known Nero would come and her instinct told
her she’d be better off following him.
Or perhaps you wait because he's your mate, the thought had creeped into her mind.
Your leg is on his leg.
She’d scoffed at the voice; I wait because it’s the only course of action to take. I am not
convinced of Bond magic.
At first glance the oracle had seemed empty; just a lost vessel winding down the river.
Soon enough his head had popped up as if he’d been burrowed inside and it was now time for a
snack.
“So there is the little squirrel,” she whispered to the turtle, her eyes sharpening, as she
watched him more intently. Nero sat up on the boat and scanned his surroundings. She sensed
his body tighten as he noticed the three holes. He edged to the boat’s frame and Narreen’s
body shot up suddenly. He’s going to dive, she thought. She hastily grabbed the turtle and
began to shove it into her satchel when she looked over to the boy again and saw his head
pointed to the heavens while he passed his water into the river.
It was her turn to roll her eyes to the sky and release an impatient sigh. She gradually
gathered the remainder of her things barely allowing her eyes to divert from him a few
moments at a time.
With Her satchel secured on her back and her weapons back in her hand, she gradually
edged down wards the riverbank. The trees provided all the cover she needed as she silently
moved while watching the boy. He stood stout, an oar in his hands suspended above the water.
He appeared to be listening or waiting for something.
The coracle gradually edged towards the middle mouth and just as Narreen believed
he’d simply let the water choose the path to take, Nero placed the oar into the water and
furiously began to row the boat toward the left entrance.
 As the boat neared the cave the current took over the work of Nero’s paddle. He sank
back into its belly and a short while later rose once more; a fire torch firmly grasped in his left
hand.
Narreen stopped and watched her mate’s boat enter the cave. The shadows cast on the
cave’s walls by the fire danced as if welcoming a long-awaited guest. The boat drifted inside,
the boy’s gaze watching the shadow dancers in amazement. Slowly, as if beckoning her to
follow, the oracle disappeared into complete darkness.
*
The boat drifted slowly and patiently as the boy, only recently a bloomer, grasped the
torch staunchly above his shoulder. He gazed at the walls, enthralled by the dancing shadows
moving alongside them. They soared into the darkness, their canopy an endless mystery. His
heart pulled him forward guided by a deep, mysterious desire. The Yakamouz is always
findable, he recalled Root Mother’s words.
Nero hooked the torch onto the coracle’s sconce and reached for his oar. He rowed
along the current, eager, and filled with anticipation. He muttered an incantation for guidance
from Tunric, “I seek your counsel by your knowledge and by your power I seek strength, and I
ask you from your immense favor, for indeed you are able while I am not, and you know while I
do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen.”
The coracle’s glide was swift, determined as it entered deeper into the cave. The water
rippled against the boat, it’s burble the only sound in the emptiness of the cave. The air was
damp, thick and moist, but the scent was clear, and Nero became easily lost in the comfort of
the sound, in the darkness, and in the calling to be alone.
Soon a shore appeared, and he gently steered the boat onto its bank. He jumped out
and dragged the vessel onto the beach, loosened the torch and gingerly looked around. Nero
spotted a void on the rock; it looked small and inconspicuous. He briskly covered the distance
that separated them and rose the torch to better inspect the entrance. It was a tunnel, narrow
and roofed with smooth rocks. Water flowed into it, it’s current gentle but strong.
He jumped into the water, keeping the torch raised with one hand while using the other
to carefully propel his body alongside the cave’s sharp walls. His heart thumped eagerly, he
knew he was getting near. After what felt like infinite paces of dragging his body inside the
tunnel, partially swimming, partially grasping the rocks for grip, a grotto emerged. He was in a
chamber, its floor covered by a pool of water.
The ceiling of the cave glimmered like a star-speckled night sky. Nero’s gasp of surprise
echoed in the walls. Hundreds of luminous green and blue celestial bodies appeared to burn in
the darkness.
He immediately spotted the Yakamouz; its body floating lifeless on the surface of
mulberry colored water. Nero, whose head was barely above the water, wearily walked toward
the carcass, the ground rising as he approached. The Yakamouz hovered, gently buoyant, and
Nero brought his torso against the body.
He placed his hand on the creature’s head, “To him we belong and to him we return,”
he whispered, his chest compressed.
A flash of shimmer sprung beneath the creature and vanished rapidly after. Nero took a
step back; his eyes eagerly scanning the water.
“I am not here to harm you,” he said. “Perhaps it will seem strange to you, but I think
your mother called me.”
Nero stood as still as he could, hoping the lack of movement would encourage the
shimmer to return. He tried to center his thoughts, he pictured the dead mother, remembered
her heartbeat, and tried to breath to the same rhythm. The shimmer resumed, fickle at first,
timid and tentative. Nero focused on maintaining his emotions, on staying stable, as welcoming
as he could.
The Yakamouz, playful and hopeful began to swim in ovals, edging closer to his body
with every completed vertex. The creature’s glow gradually increased, pulsating to Nero’s
breathing. It shone brighter with each exhale he took, as if he somehow breathed life into it. His
free hand reached out, timidly at first, as if the initial contact might fail to meet his
expectations.
Nero’s palm grazed the creature’s scales, and their glossy, smooth feel filled him with
serenity. Something entered Nero’s heart and decimated it; Adoration, longing, and surprise at
what had been there all along, dormant and waiting.
 It was magnificent.
The Yakamouz halted, a slight swift of its tail the only movement it made, then it shot
away vanishing instantly.
Nero sighed. He knew who was there and he turned his body just in time to catch
Narreen’s dagger coming down. He used his free hand to catch her wrist with as much force as
he could master to push it back up. Instinctively, he stepped closer to her meaning to find a way
to disarm her when he’s gaze met hers. There were the usual thunderous swirling and flashing,
yet in the proximity he saw something else, something barely there. Curiosity?
Too late to think. Nero’s body was sinking, his legs having been shoved by hers from
underneath him. The torch hit the water and the fire instantly went out. Near darkness
surrounded them but this was water, his friend, he could hold his breath for longer, so he
dragged her down alongside him, keeping both their heads under. It took some time, Narreen
was strong, resilient, but soon she was shaking while trying to pull away from him. He released
her and kicked away from her body, placing some distance between them. When he surfaced
her head was already above the water and she was gasping for air between coughs. He stared
at her, patiently waiting.
“Was that necessary?” She gasped.
“You deserved it.”
Her breath evened out and she observed him cautiously, “So, what now?” She asked.
Nero contemplated a lie, something that would make her leave, perhaps.
“I need to find it again,” he opted for the truth. Then tentatively he added, “Would you
like to help me look?”
Neither of them moved, trust being a foreign concept to both. Nero glanced at the knife
she still held onto to and it struck him as odd that she’d not used it to stab him under the
water. His gaze returned to her face, and he arched his eyebrows as if stating the obvious. She
glanced at the weapon, her mind calculating. Her resolve came gradually, and she tossed it at
him, a charming smile forming on her lips. He caught it mid-air and placed it on his belt, he's
gaze holding her own. Then he walked calmy toward her, the water heavy against his body.
“You need to be calm,” He instructed her, “I think it can sense…intent.”
 She gave no indication that she understood his meaning and stood there, that unusual
smirk plastered on her face.
“It’s mother just died.” Nero offered.
“I am not blind,” Narreen retorted.
There you are, Nero thought. Her familiar sarcasm was almost a comfort to him.
They stood opposite each other, taking in the other’s full measure. Confident that she
wouldn’t attempt to hurt the creature, Nero turned beside her and began to scan the water
once more. He could sense her body was tense, so he gradually reached for her hand and
grasped it firmly. Her fingers remained terse and straight in his palm.
“Narreen,” he whispered, “Not everything needs to be a hunt.”
He’s words must have touched her for he felt the tension loosen and her fingers
gradually grow limp, curving slightly around his hand. They stood in the water, breathing,
waiting.
As if the Yakamouz was the evening sky in which each star flickered one by one, the
scales of the creature began to glow. It had been near them all along, barely a few paces from
their bodies, waiting. As if all it needed was to be certain, to be sure that its shimmer would be
well received.
At first Nero watched it, glamoured by its magical pull, but soon his gaze returned to
Narreen, and it was as if for the first time she was the recipient of an arrow rather than the
dispatcher of one. Her smile while unexpected, was so brilliant, it was infectious.
A streak of silver leapt out of the water and splashed back down. A quiet giggle escaped
Narreen’s mouth.
“I think,” she said, “that your little friend has a little mischief in it.”
The Yakamouz swam a few circles, as if it were displaying just how agile it was before it
took off toward the tunnel. Nero dove in after it with Nareen not far behind. The creature’s
glow was so bright, it lit the tunnel as they swam in its wake.
Once back at the riverbank of the larger cave, Nero exited the water and headed to the
coracle. Narreen cut in front of him and tried to block his way.
“Where are you going?” She had to move backwards to keep up with him.
 “I can’t lose sight of it.”
“Why?”
“Because just look at it, it is living, breathing, and thriving. A cave is no place for such a
soul. It needs the light.”
“We won’t know where we’re going.”
Nero stopped, blinked, and stared at her blankly, “I wasn’t aware this was a group
effort.”
“You’re my mate. My leg is on your leg.”
Nero thought of a choicy comeback on how that had never mattered to her before, but
he resisted. “That would imply you protect what is mine, not try to kill it,” he offered instead.
“I’ll find other things to kill, I am sure,” she smirked.
“But what if you desire of its flesh?”
“I have no intention of becoming a mother. Nor have I lost any of my faculties. So, once
again, we don’t know where we’re going.”
Nero braced himself for how she’d respond, “I think it knows. We just need to follow it.”
She did not hide her disbelief, “You want us to follow a fish?”
“It is not a fish.”
“That is not the point.”
Nero said the only thing that would work, “Come if you want, return to the Clan if you
want, do what suits you.”
She regarded him evenly and after just when he was about to walk away from her, she
took the bait and stomped to the coracle. Barely acknowledging his presence beside her,
Narreen pushed the boat into the water.
“Don’t just stand there,” she snapped, “Fish are pretty fast swimmers, you know?”
*

Dear reader, I am working on the other part of this chapter, I was unable to finish it on time for
your first reading. Please retun to it once I have let you know it is done. It does some more
world building of the clan and explains some od their customs setting the trajectoruy up for
latter developments.