Coarse fingers kept clambering at the jagged rocks of the cavern. For the last hour Okuma has been looking for his comrade, who was missing from the after dinner roll call. But it seemed like no matter where the boy looked, Okuma just couldn’t find his friend. Eventually even growing concerned that he’d gotten himself trapped or fallen into some pit. But he wasn’t supposed to go back until he found Akari.
At the moment Okuma was trying to get to higher ground closer to the ceiling of the cave. Once his small grey fingers reached the ledge at the apex of his climb, Okuma pulled his head over the edge. Once he did, his two yellow eyes locked on the familiar form of his friend sitting and looking up. His position relaxed and body reclined back on his arms against the rock beneath him.
“Akari?!” Okuma practically growled as he hoisted himself up to his feet and marched over to the other boy. “I’ve been looking all over for you, you know you’re gonna be in a lot of trouble with the instructor.” Even now Akari didn’t even look back at Okuma. Which made him feel like he was being ignored. Clenching his fists he was just about ready to grab Akari and drag them back to the barracks.
“Look at them Okuma…” Akari said before raising one of his hands up and pointing at the cave ceiling, the same one they saw everyday. Okuma looked up and tried to follow where Akari had been pointing at but saw nothing but the faint glow and sparkles of luminous crystals.
“What… what am I supposed to look at?” Okuma asked dismissively.
“They’re stars… It’s a night sky. Just like in the books.” Akari replied before lowering their hand back down.
“But-”
“I know… Their crystals.” Akari interrupted. “But I’m imagining they’re stars. Each one a system, with their own planets, with caves as big and vast as ours.” Okuma blinked before looking back up at the dark cave ceiling and all the numerous crystalline speckles across it. Up here they were far enough away from anything that even the smallest gems still shined through the darkness.
“Do you wanna sit and watch the galaxy with me?” Akari asked. Okuma initially felt hesitant. They’d already been missing for a while now, but what difference did a few more minutes make.
Letting out a sigh, Okuma sat down next to Akari. Figuring he could at least afford himself some time to rest after searching for the last hour. His yellow eyes looked back up at the glowing crystals. In a certain light they really did begin to look like stars in the night sky. Or at least what he could imagine a starry night looked like. He’d never seen the sky, the sun, moons. He heard once from the adults that have been to the surface that the Balugans made a tower so tall it can touch the stars.
Normally the cave ceiling seemed so close, too constricting. But now, the crystals that once seemed close were unimaginably distant as he sat there with Akari.
“Hmm… we can tell the instructor that you got your foot stuck…” Okuma spoke up and broke the silence. Only then did Akari turn away from the gems and look at Okuma. Their green eyes meeting his own golden hues. “That way the instructor isn’t too tough on you.”
“But if he finds out you lied, you’ll be in trouble too.”
“Well at least we’ll be in trouble together…” Okuma’s reply sparked a bit of laughter between the two boys. A moment of levity before they would return to their regimented lives as soldiers.
At the moment Okuma was trying to get to higher ground closer to the ceiling of the cave. Once his small grey fingers reached the ledge at the apex of his climb, Okuma pulled his head over the edge. Once he did, his two yellow eyes locked on the familiar form of his friend sitting and looking up. His position relaxed and body reclined back on his arms against the rock beneath him.
“Akari?!” Okuma practically growled as he hoisted himself up to his feet and marched over to the other boy. “I’ve been looking all over for you, you know you’re gonna be in a lot of trouble with the instructor.” Even now Akari didn’t even look back at Okuma. Which made him feel like he was being ignored. Clenching his fists he was just about ready to grab Akari and drag them back to the barracks.
“Look at them Okuma…” Akari said before raising one of his hands up and pointing at the cave ceiling, the same one they saw everyday. Okuma looked up and tried to follow where Akari had been pointing at but saw nothing but the faint glow and sparkles of luminous crystals.
“What… what am I supposed to look at?” Okuma asked dismissively.
“They’re stars… It’s a night sky. Just like in the books.” Akari replied before lowering their hand back down.
“But-”
“I know… Their crystals.” Akari interrupted. “But I’m imagining they’re stars. Each one a system, with their own planets, with caves as big and vast as ours.” Okuma blinked before looking back up at the dark cave ceiling and all the numerous crystalline speckles across it. Up here they were far enough away from anything that even the smallest gems still shined through the darkness.
“Do you wanna sit and watch the galaxy with me?” Akari asked. Okuma initially felt hesitant. They’d already been missing for a while now, but what difference did a few more minutes make.
Letting out a sigh, Okuma sat down next to Akari. Figuring he could at least afford himself some time to rest after searching for the last hour. His yellow eyes looked back up at the glowing crystals. In a certain light they really did begin to look like stars in the night sky. Or at least what he could imagine a starry night looked like. He’d never seen the sky, the sun, moons. He heard once from the adults that have been to the surface that the Balugans made a tower so tall it can touch the stars.
Normally the cave ceiling seemed so close, too constricting. But now, the crystals that once seemed close were unimaginably distant as he sat there with Akari.
“Hmm… we can tell the instructor that you got your foot stuck…” Okuma spoke up and broke the silence. Only then did Akari turn away from the gems and look at Okuma. Their green eyes meeting his own golden hues. “That way the instructor isn’t too tough on you.”
“But if he finds out you lied, you’ll be in trouble too.”
“Well at least we’ll be in trouble together…” Okuma’s reply sparked a bit of laughter between the two boys. A moment of levity before they would return to their regimented lives as soldiers.
