Serpent's Pass, Arcum Iris

Serpent's Pass (Continued)

Rocks in the Serpent's Pass were moulded into strange shapes by eons of erosion. Who would've thought wind and grains of sand could do so much?

The bottom of the canyon was covered with a thick layer of fine dust and overgrown in some places with strange, glowing plants. We made our way through the canyon, marvelling at the majestic landforms.

We explored the canyon until we lost track of time. But before long, the sky began to darken. We decided that it was about time to seek out what we came here to find.

Serpent's Pass

"Oof ...!"

Somewhere in a dimly-lit canyon, two felines struggled onto their feet and dusted themselves off.

(Where do you think we are, Luka?) 

"I am not sure, Skimble, but this place looks a little familiar."

"The Force that Be must've teleported us much further away this time. But hey, what's over there? Let's go and take a look!"

And so, Skimble and I began our exploration in the Serpent's Pass.

Over the ridge

*Huff puff*

"Dash, Skimble, dash !! We'll make it in before the Powers that Be teleport us out!"

*Roar!*

"I see it, Skimble I see it ! Do y-"

*swoosh*

"Oof!"

I felt a whirl of air around me, and before I knew it, I was falling through the air, and landed on Skimble's fluffy flanks.

"Dang ... we got transported out again ..."

Sneak view

"Hey, Skimble ... do you see what I see ? What's that in the distant?"

Parched Land

Skimble and I travelled all night across the desert, and then a day. Slowly, the terrain became increasingly rugged as we got closer to the edge. Civilisation was far behind us, and I couldn't help but notice the peaceful silence in the air - not the silence of a dead place, but one brimming with quiet anticipation and possibilities. One starts to notice the feelling of hot breeze against the skin, see in detail the water-colour streaks in the winkled rocks and intricate lines on the bone-dry gnarled trees. Was the sun ever this bright, and sky ever this brilliant blue?

The edge of the world may seem desolated, but there were so much details to be observed if you would only stop to look. 

"Look at this harsh but beautiful land, Skimble! This is the edge of the world as we know it! I guess we are lucky that we live in a time when the Gods are still trying to build more of this world. There's so much to look forward to."

Skimble: *Soft purr*

Southern Lights

I woke up to a warm evening breeze, draped on the rooftop gable. I must've fallen asleep for a long time. As I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I caught sight of a display of slowly shifting, jewel-toned lights in the south.

 Suddenly, I remembered the times I spent hiding in ambush on the roof long ago, when I was but a young grasshopper. I often stared at that strange light from the rooftop and wondered what that faraway place was.

Later, I learnt that the lights shone over the sealed land of the Wildborns, which the Powers that Be had not granted access to.

Just then, an idea struck me ... what if Skimble and I managed to get onto the bare rocky ridge that separated our land and theirs - maybe we could peek in and see something beautiful and exciting? The thought of this gave me an adrenaline rush.

"Skimble ... Skimble !"

Skimble woke, and lifting his massive head off his paws, looked up at me from the ground with quizzical eyes. He stood up as I jumped on my feet and tumbled off the roof.

"Growl?"

"Let's go, we're heading to Wildborn land!"