by Dreagen
“Hey, Rex,” BaRone called back to Rex, who was standing in the corner observing both of them quietly. “Are you feeling—?”
“He’s fine,” DiNiya replied as she pulled him forward and pulled his mouth up into a smile. “See, happy and healthy.”
BaRone looked at Rex, then back at the plate. “Guess we’ll see,” he said with a grin and slapped Rex on the back.
“DiNiya, I’m home,” came a voice through the front door. “Caught us a great haul today!” In walked a young man in his mid-teens, with lightly tan skin and long, light-auburn hair. He was about the same height as DiNiya and was of a leaner frame than Rex. He wore dark green and brown garb similar to that of Rex, and carried a net, which he had slung over his right shoulder. He suddenly stopped when he noticed Rex. “Who are you?” he asked with a curious look on his face. “And why are you wearing my clothes?”
Rex looked down then back up, unsure what to say. Luckily, BaRone chimed in at that exact moment, sparing Rex the awkwardness of fumbling for an explanation. “This is Rex of Merced, the newest addition to the tribe.” Placing a hand on Rex’s shoulder, he smiled. “Rex, I’d like for you to meet my son, EeNox.”
“Uhh…hi,” Rex said as he once again held out his hand.
EeNox set the net down on the floor and walked over to Rex, where he looked at his awkwardly outstretched hand. Realizing his mistake, Rex immediately raised his arm instead, mimicking the gesture he had used with DiNiya’s father as best he recalled, hoping to quickly rectify his error.
EeNox glanced over at his father and sister, who nodded in turn, then back to Rex and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rex. Welcome to our—hey, wait…”
Inside, Rex felt his stomach twist into knots. Here we go again…
“Your eyes,” EeNox said as he leaned in closer, causing Rex to take a step back. “They’re…red!”
Images of children he had known in years past, laughing and making fun of him, paraded through his mind. The throbbing in the back of his head was now returning, and he began to feel lightheaded. It must have been obvious to DiNiya, who quickly ran up and let him lean against her.
“Rex, are you all right?” she asked worriedly. “Here, sit down.” She pulled out a chair and eased him down in it.
BaRone walked up and handed him a glass of water. “Here, drink this.”
Rex gulped the water down as if he had been parched but began to cough as some of it went down the wrong pipe.
“Easy,” DiNiya said as she used her sleeve to wipe water from his chin.
“I’m all right,” Rex said, looking a little embarrassed by her motherly behavior.
“Why don’t you get him back in bed, DiNiya,” her father said, eyeing Rex. “I’m sure he’s still worn out and could probably use a bit more bed rest before he’s back on his feet.”
“Come on, Rex,” she said as she took him by the hand and led him back to the room he had awoken in earlier. She helped him back into bed while gently cradling his head in her hand.
“You don’t have to do this,” Rex said. “I can take care of myself.”
“There’s no shame in getting a little help every now and then,” she replied, pulling the blankets up to his chest. “Besides, no one is doubting your…capabilities.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, raising his head.
DiNiya sighed as she stood in the doorway with her back to him. Then, standing in silence, she carefully thought about what to say next. Suddenly, she turned back to face him with a broad smile. “There’s nothing for you to be worried about, Rex. Just get as much rest as you need. I’ll be back to check on you soon.”
Rex watched her walk out of the room and gently close the door behind her. Slowly, he lay back down and stared up at the ceiling, which he noticed had carvings in it. He focused his eyes, which seemed to magnify the images until he felt they were right in front of him. The carvings depicted dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes intermingling with one another, much like he had seen earlier. His mind wandered, drifting through an endless sea of questions. Dinosaurs. They’re alive. How are they alive? He did not know if it had been the sudden rush of excitement he had just experienced from seeing actual living dinosaurs catching up with him, or his body simply giving out from fatigue, but soon he found himself slipping into a deep, dreamless sleep.
He awoke some time later, feeling groggy and once again needing several minutes to fully process where he was. He looked over to the window on his left and noticed that the light coming through the slit was now pale silver. He rose up out of bed and walked over to it. Quietly, he pushed them open and was immediately greeted by the cool night air. In the distance he could see the larger dinosaurs sleeping out in the valley, some doing so standing up. A gentle breeze glided across the open expanse, bringing with it the same sweet scent he had smelled several times before and that led him here to this place. He closed his eyes as it filled him, giving him visions of an open meadow filled with tall golden grass, and a beautiful luminous night sky filled with dancing light that seemed to go on forever. He found his nose drifting up in pursuit of the increasingly intense aroma. The next thing he knew, he was climbing out the window and up the side of the house, a faint red glow surrounding him as he did so. Higher and higher he went, watching as the top drew nearer. What is this pull I feel? he wondered. So strange was it, and yet so natural. He would have stopped to inquire had it not trapped him in its hypnotic pull. Whatever it was, something deep within him was telling him to trust his instincts and follow it. At last he placed one hand over the top and pulled the rest of himself up and over. Landing on his haunches, he immediately glanced around, not sure what exactly he was looking for. It was then that he saw DiNiya sitting several yards in front of him with her legs dangling over the other side. Hints of movements could be seen in her long beautiful fur as the gentle breeze swept through it. Wrapped around her was a dark red blanket to keep out the chill in the air, which did not seem to bother Rex, although he was aware of it. He stared at her back for a moment, not knowing how to break the silence. There she sat quietly, beautifully silhouetted in front of an enormous, full ringed moon accompanied by a second smaller one, in an endless sky of color and flowing light. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity when she suddenly spoke, causing him to jump.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” she asked calmly before tilting her head back to glance at him. Another gentle breeze slowly blew several strands of her fur out of her face, and Rex was instantly taken aback by how different she seemed to look in the pale moonlight. Gone was the always-smiling, upbeat girl he had met earlier. Sitting before him now was an old soul whose face, despite its beauty, was scarred with sadness. “I often come up here at night when I have things on my mind.”
“I will leave you alone, then,” Rex said, turning to climb back down.
“No, wait,” DiNiya suddenly blurted out with a bit more intensity than she had planned or expected before quickly calming herself. “I mean…would you like to sit with me? Just for a little while, maybe?”
Rex, despite having been strangely drawn to this place, was still conflicted by two different sets of feelings. One was telling him to be cautions of this strange girl because his encounters with most strangers usually resulted in conflict. However, the other was telling him to stop doubting everything and just sit next to the pretty girl who seemed to be showing slightly more than a passing interest in him. That is when he heard it, a whisper on the wind saying, Do not be afraid. There was sudden gust just behind him that forced him to take a few steps forward. DiNiya smiled a little as Rex closed the rest of the distance between them on his own. Slowly, he sat down next to her with a light grunt, and remained still for a moment, clearly unsure what to do now that he was next to her. DiNiya must have felt the same way, for she was in no hurry to strike up a conversation, either. Rex turned to say something, just as she did. They both laughed, which to their silent relief eased some of the tension.
“You go first,” said Rex.
“It’s all right, you go ahead,” DiNiya replied, smiling again. “You must have many questions.”
Had it been ten minutes ago, Rex would have had more than he could probably remember, but looking at her now, he strangely could not think of one. What are you doing, stupid? he thought to himself. Say something before you look like an even bigger idiot. He looked down at her hands, which clutched the blanket tighter every time a breeze glided over them. “Cold,” he asked at last. She nodded and smiled. “Hmm,” he replied, looking up at the moons. “Feels warm out tonight to me.”
“That’s because of your flame,” she said, not taking her eyes off the moons either. “You’re instinctively using it to keep yourself warm.”
“My flame?”
“Yes,” she replied as she took his hand into hers. “It is the power that flows within all things great and small, the very essence of all that makes up the stars in the night sky itself. The cosmic fire which burns within us.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I understand.”
“Your flame is what you are, what we all are, each one a descendent of the first that served as the initial grand spark that eventually became the cosmos. It is all that we are.”
“Uh huh,” Rex replied. “So why are you cold?”
DiNiya laughed. “Your flame enhances your body’s strengths and defenses. So in the case of a chilly autumn night like this one, it keeps you nice and warm.”
“Is yours broken?” he asked, motioning to the blanket that she held tightly around herself.
“This belonged to my mother,” she replied, looking off into space, smiling. “She would wrap me in it when I was a baby.”
“You mean you can actually remember that far back?” Rex asked in surprise.
“Well, of course. Can’t you?”
Rex shook his head, slightly bewildered by the concept of having a memory of being an infant.
“I had thought it was lost, until one morning when I was three, I woke up and found my father crying in the kitchen, holding this blanket. I stood in the doorway just watching him. It’s a scary thing for someone when they are that young to see one of their parents crying. They are supposed to be the strong ones, after all, and my father is as strong as they come. But to see him like that…well…that was something I will never forget.” Rex regarded her silently as she spoke. “When he finally saw me standing there, he stopped crying, walked over to me, knelt down, and wrapped this blanket around me. Then he hugged me harder than he ever had before. I asked him where my mother had gone, why she had just disappeared, and he told me that she loved me very much, but there was somebody that needed her help more and that she had to go. So on cool nights like this, I like to come up here with the blanket she used to hold me in, and allow the cool air to pass right through me, and remember…remember her scent and her warmth.” She pulled the blanket up to her face and breathed deep, closing her eyes as she did so.
“That must be nice,” said Rex, finally turning away from her. “I don’t remember my mother at all.”
“Not at all?” she asked.
“No,” he replied, looking back at her to see her staring at him with her big red eyes.
“Not even her scent?”
“No, I mean there is something, but I don’t know what it is. It’s like an old dream that I had once but can barely remember now. In any case, nothing that has stirred any long-lost memories of motherly love.”
“What about your father?” she asked curiously. “Do you remember anything about him?”
“My father?” Rex replied curiously. “Well…I, um…I…can’t remember,” he replied as a familiar sharp pain rose in the back of his head, causing him to wince and lean forward to the point where he almost went right over the edge.
DiNiya quickly stopped him from falling and eased him back. “Are you all right?” she asked urgently. “Here, let’s get you back into bed!”
“No, I’m fine,” Rex quickly protested as he pulled his hand away from his head. “I want to stay up here a little while longer.” DiNiya looked at him uncertainly at first, as if judging whether she should insist on him getting more bed rest. “Sit up here with me for a bit?” She conceded and smiled. The two turned and stared up at the moons until they both drifted off to sleep. Just as the final moment of consciousness slipped away, Rex heard one final whisper in the wind. Sweet dreams.
5
THAT WHICH DWELLS WITHIN
Rex’s eyes slowly opened to the dawn light. Unlike before, he remembered where he was this time, and could feel a warmer breeze lightly washing over him. He also sensed that he was not alone and felt gentle breathing against his left arm. Looking over, he saw DiNiya curled up next to him, her face buried against his arm with the blanket over them both. Rex looked down at her with a curious silence. He had never really been this physically close to any girl before. Then again, he had never really been this close to anyone, period. She seems so peaceful, he thought as he took note of the slight smile on her face. Rex wondered what dreams filled her head that could allow her to seem so serene while she slept. He was sure he did not look the same. Not with his dreams, his nightmares. As he slowly reached out with his hand to touch her face, her eyes opened. He pulled his hand back quickly, feeling awkward.
DiNiya blinked then turned her head and looked up at him. “Oh, no,” she said, suddenly realizing where they were. “We fell asleep! Quick, come with me!” She jumped up and grabbed him by the arm she led him to a large pair of wooden doors in the rock wall. Pulling them open, she revealed a long dark tunnel that spiraled down sharply. They made their way down the winding passage until they reached another pair of large doors. “Is this the way you used to get up there?” Rex asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer.
“Yes,” she replied. “Why, how did you get up?”
“Climbed,” Rex said flatly, feeling a bit foolish.
DiNiya chuckled and smiled, “Nothing stops you, Rex.”
Rex felt a bit of pride swell inside him before it was interrupted. “Come on this way,” she said as she pulled open the doors and led them through. They walked briskly down a short and level passage, which opened into a storeroom filled with smoked meats and an assortment of strange fruits and vegetables. They made their way out, and Rex immediately recognized the interior of the house.
DiNiya peered around a corner before waving him forward, “All clear.” They made their way to his room, where they stopped just outside the door. “All right, quickly now, get in.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“I normally get up in about an hour from now, so it won’t look too out of place for me to be up and dressed this early, but if I get caught leading you around out of bed, my father will not be pleased. Now hurry and get in before someone sees you.”
Rex opened the door to the room, and was heading in when DiNiya said, “By the way, Rex…thank you.”
“For what?”
“For listening to me last night,” she replied, looking down at her feet as she played with a strand of her fur.
Rex looked at her, not fully understanding what she was thanking him for, but decided it was best to not over think it for the time being. “Don’t mention it,” he replied, then turned, went in, and closed the door behind him. Leaning against it, he let out a heavy sigh.
Outside, DiNiya unknowingly mirrored his actions while twirling her fur more energetically around her index finger, smiling.
“What are you doing there?” a voice called, snapping Rex and DiNiya back to reality.
DiNiya looked up in surprise and saw her brother standing by the second door a few meters down the hall. “Huh?”
“I asked what are you doing there?” EeNox repeated. “Outside his room just standing there like that?”
Rex had his ear pressed against the door as he listened intently.
“I was just coming from checking on him,” she replied innocently.
“Mm hmm,” EeNox said sarcastically
, crossing his arms.
“Oh, shut up, EeNox, you’re just jealous that you’re not the only boy in the house anymore!”
“That’s not true,” he countered with a look of shock that she could not help but feel was partially forced.
“What’s wrong, brother?” she teased. “Afraid Father likes him better than you?”
“No!” he exclaimed, quickly lowering his voice after realizing how loud his outburst was and walking up to DiNiya, where he continued in a hushed tone. “I know you know what everyone has been saying.”
“Saying?” she replied curiously.
“About him, about his flame. It’s red, like yours.”
The fur on the back of Rex’s neck stood on end, and he found himself hearing them clearly despite their lowered voices.
“Was like mine,” she corrected. “And I fail to see the relevance. Besides, what would you have Father do, send him away just because he’s a little different?”
“I’m not saying we should toss him out, and I’m more than a little offended that you would accuse me of ever being so cruel.” DiNiya’s expression softened somewhat. “Still, we can’t be too careless when it comes to someone like him.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, glaring.
EeNox, feeling somewhat cornered, searched for the right words. “I’m just saying, well…we don’t really have any experience with…you know…someone like him.”
“No, I don’t know,” she replied, crossing her arms. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
EeNox began to sweat. He knew that she was well aware of what he was alluding to, but dared not come right out and say it. Still, he was certain she would continue to press him until he did, thus backing him into a corner that he could not get out of. “DiNiya, do I really have to say it?”
She did not respond but continued to back him against a wall with an unwavering glare.
With a heavy sigh, he yielded, knowing full well he was sealing his fate as he did so. “It’s just that the last time someone had an active red flame…someone was—”
